Birth of the Forest
by karldin
Summary: The Yondaime Hokage unknowingly makes a change during the sealing, the consequences of which are unimaginable for both Naruto and Konoha. What do these consequences mean for Naruto?
1. Chapter 1

BIRTH OF THE FOREST

CHAPTER 1

**KONOHA'S OUTSKIRTS**

Namikaze Minato, the Yondaime Hokage, drew upon the last of his chakra as he and his wife gazed at their beloved son. The Sandaime and his squad looked at the tragic scene with tears flowing down their eyes.

"**FUUINJUTSU: SHIKI FUUIN!"**

The death god materialized behind Minato. The fourth looked at his son's face with bottomless regret as he and his wife spoke their last words to their son.

He looked at Sarutobi, "keep him safe, Sandaime. He is a hero of the leaf, and must be treated as such. Promise me!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Sandaime Hokage, nodded solemnly. "I promise"

Minato released chakra.

"**SEAL!"**

The Kyuubi's Yang chakra was sealed into little Naruto. The Yin chakra was in the process of being sealed into the Shinigami, but Minato was faltering. A bit of the Yin chakra was sealed into young Naruto as well. Minato's face grew anguished. Kushina had already passed out, but he could still feel her life force faintly.

He would not let his son be tainted by the fox's malice. Drawing on the power of the seal, he tried to pull out the Yin chakra sealed in Naruto forcibly, but to his horror he was drawing out Naruto's soul as well.

Hastily he released the sealing technique and Naruto's soul snapped back into its body. The seal was somewhat changed from the traditional reaper death seal.

He looked at the Sandaime one last time, and secured the **SHIKI FUUIN **with the Eight Trigram Seal. It would allow Naruto the Kyuubi's chakra with purification. He felt himself fading into darkness.

"_Good luck, Naruto"_

The protective dome wavered and the Sandaime rushed in to gather Naruto in his arms.

"Kushina-sama is alive, Sandaime-sama!"

The Sandaime felt relief on hearing this. The child would not be alone.

"Get her to the medics, NOW! I will take Naruto myself!"

The consequences of this day's events would be beyond comprehension.

**THIRTEEN YEARS LATER**

Uzumaki Naruto was currently bored. So bored in fact that he had his head lying comfortably upon his desk, drooling on to the floor: A clear indication that he was drifting off to sleep.

Naruto was predictably reaching for one of the multiple bowls of miso ramen floating around in his dreamland. His drooling increased to what one might call gross levels and he let out a rather happy snore. The food of the gods….

…

..

"NARUTO!"

Naruto was rudely awakened from his fantasy land and excitably jumped onto the table. He looked around energetically before fixing his gaze upon the one jutsu dreaded by all academy students.

Iruka-sensei's demonic giant head jutsu.

"NARUTO, YOU INATTENTIVE LITTLE BRAT! TELL ME, WHY WAS SENJU HASHIRAMA THE MOST FEARED NINJA ON THE BATTLEFIELD OF THE FIRST WAR?"

Naruto scratched his head…"Well, he could do a lot of powerful jutsus?"

A tic mark appeared on Iruka's visage. The class sniggered at Naruto, Kiba Inuzuka taking particular pains to mock the dead last.

"Idiot! _He could do a lot of powerful jutsu..."_ he mocked in a singsong voice.

"SHUT UP DOGGY!" Naruto yelled. Iruka blew up yet again: "QUIET!"

Unsurprisingly the class quieted down. "Naruto, you will read up on the Shodai Hokage and give us all a detailed presentation on his life tomorrow, without fail. Do you understand?"

Naruto scowled. "Yes, sensei". People really did not understand. How was he to read history without books, and how was he to get books without a library? They always refused to entertain "demons" in the village. They always called him demon.

Why?

His musings were interrupted by Iruka calling for the class to follow him for meditation exercises.

He distractedly followed the rest of the class. Once they were all assembled, Iruka asked them to place a leaf upon their forehead and concentrate upon it and it only. He said it would help them later in controlling chakra.

"Hey Forehead, I guess you won't have any worries of the leaf falling off your _forehead_, will you?"

Naruto scoffed mentally at Ino and Sakura's bickering over "Sasuke-kun". He had seen two graduating classes come and go, and this class was by far the worst to him. Sasuke the emo had turned away his friendship offer with harsh words. Sakura and Ino, intent on pleasing broody, had always shot him down.

Hinata fainted whenever he was within three feet of her. Hah! The other two batches were okay, compared to this one.

He would have passed out with them too, if not for the Bunshin technique that needed to be demonstrated at the exams. Unfortunately, he always produced a sickly version of himself that looked ready to die. Thus he had endured in the academy as a failure, a dobe.

Sasuke always reminded him of being a dobe, along with Kiba. Anger filled him as he thought of the multiple taunts he had endured, and the pointed glares he had received from the townsmen. Everyone seemed to hate him, and he did not know why.

"Concentrate, Naruto!" Iruka snapped at him.

Sighing, Naruto focused his attention upon the leaf on the centre of his forehead. It was hard for him to remain still. No matter what others thought of him, he tried his best in the classes never slacking off. He would command their respect in the end, no matter what.

He closed his eyes and focused upon the leaf. It felt nice…and calm. He showed himself to be a loudmouth and prankster for just one purpose only: to forget his childhood angst. If he kept thinking of his beatings and mistreatment he would surely go mad.

He had no happy memories, so he staved off his life's misery with pranks and such. Shrugging off his melancholy, he focused again. As usual, he felt the chakra of everyone in the room…he concentrated even more, and he could feel it.

Calm and flowing. It was chakra, undoubtedly. But it felt so very different from his own. This felt powerful yet peaceful, intimidating but soothing. He felt connected to everybody. He could even feel the emotions of people around him.

His always hyper agitated mind felt calm for the first time, and he loved this feeling. He calmly let a dopey smile show on his face.

"NARUTO!"

Naruto lazily opened his eyes.

"What, Iruka-sensei? That felt so nice and you had to break me –"

"What were you doing Naruto? There was blue chakra coming out of your body…"

"Huh, there was? I felt so good…I could feel what all of you felt, and their chakras."

Iruka's eyes bugged out. "Tell me then Naruto, what was I feeling?"

"Proud yet frustrated. Sasuke here was frustrated yet angry. Sakura was…eager and…horny? Ino was-"

"ENOUGH NARUTO!" Iruka said a tinge of pink in his cheeks. "You will accompany me to Hokage-sama's office right now. Rest of the class is dismissed for the day. Go on, time is almost up anyway."

With a giant cheer the class ran to the door but the angry Sakura rushed at Naruto with her fist cocked.

Sakura reached Naruto and swung her fist. Much to the surprise of the entire class, Naruto ducked calmly even without looking causing Sakura to barrel into the desk and yell out in pain.

The class was silent. Naruto had dodged that punch even without looking as if he had eyes in the back of his head.

"HAHAHAHAHA!" Naruto was laughing pointing at Sakura who was crying. The class too broke out in smiles, even emo's mouth twitched a bit.

Sakura gave Naruto a nasty glare and left sniffling. The class was empty at last with only Naruto and Iruka in it.

"How did you dodge that punch, Naruto?" Iruka asked curiously.

"Oh I could feel that she was angry with me, and her chakra was getting nearer and nearer. And I know exactly how she punches. So it was easy for me to dodge her..."

Iruka looked impressed and beckoned him to follow to the Hokage's office. Naruto followed easily.

God he felt so much better after the leaf meditation thing. It was like he could feel the chakra of everyone within sight and their feelings to a certain degree.

He could feel so many presences and their emotions as he proceeded towards the old man's office. Iruka knocked on the door and the old man's voice asked them to come in.

"Ah, Naruto! Iruka! To what do I owe this pleasure?"

Naruto however closed his eyes and extended his senses as he had done in the leaf exercise. Four chakras. One felt like a raging fire, two felt like water and the last felt like lightning. They all seemed bored yet aware, but the old man's chakra felt huge, like an ocean. He opened his eyes and looked at the old man in awe…

"Old man, I never knew you were so strong…"

The Hokage shot Iruka a questioning look.

"Ah, Hokage-sama that is what I am here to talk about. It seems Naruto here has uncovered a very strong sensory ability during the leaf focus exercise. He could feel the even the emotions of the people in the room along with chakra…"

The Hokage looked astonished at Naruto. "Well Naruto, what am I feeling?"

"Um…proud, surprised, and anxious?"

"Can you feel anything or anyone else, Naruto?"

"Yeah…I can feel four other chakras in this room. One feels like fire, two like water and the last like lightning and they all seem bored but alert."

Sarutobi looked stunned, as did Iruka. "It seems you can sense natures as well, Naruto. This is an unexpected development. We need to test out the limits of this ability of yours. Close your eyes…"

Naruto closed his eyes.

"Now focus like you did in the leaf exercise. Keep your mind calm and try to imagine yourself as the leaf. You are floating on the wind…calmly…no anger…no emotions…just…"

Naruto followed the instructions of the old man diligently. The Hokage's voice was hypnotic and calmed down his semi agitated mind. He was the leaf…

Bright blue chakra exploded around Naruto. He could sense so many people. The feelings were so intense that he tuned them out. There were so many chakras in Konoha, but none were as strong as the old man, but a few came close.

"Now Naruto, can you tell me what the chakra of the people near the north gate feel like?"

Naruto could visualize Konoha in his mind's eye. Casting his senses in the north direction, he glimpsed the gate. There were two chakras there. They were incredibly bored, and one felt like water and the other like fire.

Opening his eyes, he said as much to the fire shadow.

The old man nodded slowly.

"This is a very rare ability you have there Naruto. It is called the sensory ability, and you seem to have an extremely strong one. To sense even natures and emotions…you are the second person I have seen could do that."

Naruto looked excited. "Who was the first, old man? Tell me. TELL ME!"

Sarutobi chuckled. "It was my first sensei, Senju Hashirama. You know him as the Shodai Hokage. He had a special chakra that allowed him to sense like you do."

At this Sarutobi's eyes narrowed in thought. There was no reason for Naruto to have sensory abilities. True, Minato had the sensory abilities of the second, but that was not even close to the versatility of Naruto's ability. Naruto had both range and sense. The botched sealing of the fox came to his mind.

Sighing he reached for one of the many scrolls stored in his desk.

"Listen carefully, Naruto. The ability you have should not go untrained. It can be a major asset for the village to have a sensor of your calibre. So to further your ability, I am giving you this scroll. It is a documentation of sensory skills penned by Hashirama-sensei himself. Here you might find ways of training your ability. Treat this carefully and keep it secret."

Flabbergasted, Naruto received the scroll with reverence. A scroll written with the First Hokage's own hands!

"Thank you, old man. I will become the best sensor in Konoha, believe it!" Naruto said excitedly.

"I know you will, Naruto. Now run along…"

Naruto walked out of the building cradling the scroll to his chest closely.

**NARUTO'S APARTMENT**

Naruto unfurled the scroll carefully, restraining his excitement. His excitement dropped down considerably when he saw only a small paragraph on the scroll.

_Calm your mind, focus upon nature. Extend the sense inward, not outward. Enter your subconscious and face yourself. To be one with nature is to be one with yourself. The balance of yin and yang is the balance of Chakra in nature. This is called Harmony._

What did this even mean? Naruto was getting very frustrated with the cryptic scroll. He decided to continue with what the Sandaime had taught him.

Closing his eyes, he calmed himself as he did before. Again, he could feel the chakras around him. There were two chakras near his apartment that were large and felt like fire, both of them. Shelving his anger at being watched, he continued with his sensory exercises.

It was the same as before. What was he doing wrong?

_Extend the sense inward, not outward…_

He tried to sense his own chakra and was able to do so faintly. He tried even more, and he was astonished. There seemed to be three chakras flowing in his body. One felt like pure malice, all anger and hate, the second chakra felt familiar and comfortable like it was truly his own, but the third…the third chakra felt soothing but so strong. So potent. It felt like the opposite of the first. If anything, it felt like leaves, earth and trees.

He could feel this very chakra all around him and it was steadily flowing into his body. The second familiar chakra was fading fast and was being replaced by the soothing strong chakra. He delved deeper into his very nature and blacked out.

Drip…

Drip…

Drip…

Naruto woke up in what seemed to be a sewer with bad lighting and water up to his knees. He groggily followed the passage which opened to a cell with bars so high and large that its end was not visible.

The doors of the cell were secured by a single piece of paper with "**SEAL**" written on it.

He peered behind the cell curiously feeling unfathomable amounts of chakra behind it. It felt malicious and full of hatred beyond human comprehension. His mind almost shut down in response.

"Hello?" he called out weakly.

What seemed to be a mass of darkness opened two glowing red eyes and stared at him.

A deafening roar came out of the darkness, causing Naruto to backpedal frantically and fall on his ass. The glowing red eyes focused upon his own:

"**HAHAHAA! THAT WAS FUNNY! REALLY, IT WAS! THE LOOK ON YOUR FACE! YOU LOOKED LIKE A KID WHO HAD THE STUFFING SCARED OUT OF HIM..!"**

The darkness behind the cell came to light, revealing a sniggering giant fox. Naruto stared dumbfounded at this surreal sight. Then something else registered in his mind.

The fox had nine tails.

"KYUUBI!" he yelled, pointing at the fox accusingly.

The fox stopped his sniggering and inspected the human child in front of him.

"**YEAH, THAT'S ME KID. I KNEW YOU WERE WAY SMARTER THAN YOU LET ON. NO NEED TO FREAK OUT. BY THE LOOK ON YOUR FACE, I GUESS YOU HAVE LOTS OF QUESTIONS. TO ELIMINATE THE MORE OBVIOUS ONES; WE ARE CURRENTLY IN YOUR MIND. WHEN YOU TRIED TO TRACE MY CHAKRA, YOU ENDED UP HERE. AND YES, THE ANGRY CHAKRA IS MINE. AND NO, THE SOOTHING CHAKRA HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH ME THOUGH IT IS SOOTHING…"**

Naruto looked at the weird self-proclaimed Kyuubi in front of him and sweat dropped.

"Aren't you supposed to be an evil fox that threatens people and kills them for fun, and how are you in my mind?"

Kyuubi looked amused. "**Fine, let us begin at that point. Listen carefully, kid. Before I ended up in your cracked sewer of a mind, I was pretty normal alright. No random rampages, though those are rather fun. I have near infinite chakra, but do you think I keep blowing things up forever? That is just hilarious!"**

Naruto had to give the fox that point. "But why are you in my mind?" he asked.

"**I was put in a Genjutsu by a man I would gladly kill but sadly cannot. This Genjutsu awoke my bloodlust and allowed him to direct my anger towards the village. I went on a rampage killing many ninja, before the Yondaime Hokage confronted me and sealed me up in a new born baby, you"**

Naruto was crushed. He could hardly think from the grief that filled his heart. His beloved fourth Hokage was the one that condemned him to a life full of misery and pain? Rage filled his heart as he thought of the numerous beatings, tortures and neglect he had received from the villagers. Why was it him? why? why? WHY?

"**He had reasons kid, and I will tell you those reasons if you will do something for me"**

Naruto looked at the Kyuubi with grief filled eyes. "What do you want?"

"**Look around this place. Can you see the cracks everywhere?"**

Naruto could indeed see the cracks, spider webbing everywhere. The place looked like it was about to fall apart, but still held firm. The cracks seemed to radiate the same soothing chakra he had felt.

"Yes I can see it."

**"Good. Let me explain to you what seals are briefly. Seals are constructs that allow extreme manipulation and programming of chakra, they are expressions of the mind. Your Yondaime sealed me in with an extremely powerful one. But something went wrong with the sealing, which is all I can remember. The cracks in this place indicate that there exists another aspect beneath this layer of the seal. Now, all you have to do is continue to try and sense only the nature chakra flowing through your body. Got that? Do that and I will be able to see just what it is that lies beneath this layer that allows me to get calm so fast."**

Naruto easily deduced that the calming potent chakra flowing through him was the nature chakra Kyuubi spoke of. His agitated mind sought the refuge of that chakra automatically. He focused upon the nature chakra and it alone. His mind calmed down fast and he could feel it building in his body. It was dominating the other two chakras. He dimly got the sensation that the Kyuubi was smiling peacefully. Shaking off his thoughts at such weirdness, he focused even more. The enormous chakra of the Kyuubi was side lined till he could barely feel it and the familiar chakra which was probably his own was fading away.

With a final rush, all of his own chakra was replaced by the nature chakra.

He could feel his body adapting to the new chakra, the network enormously changing to accommodate its new fluid. Wondrously, he felt little pain. It was as if his already formidable resilience and healing were magnified tenfold by the nature chakra.

He felt complete.

If he thought he could sense well before, it was nothing compared to what he could do now…

He could sense everything. It was more reliable than his eyes, ears and smell. He could sense chakra and emotions to an acute level. Hell, he could even sense the wind caressing his body, the blissful moisture in the air and even the earth for miles and miles and all those connected to it.

He opened his eyes and saw the _smiling _Kyuubi in its cell. His 'mind' as the Kyuubi put it was now almost covered with cracks and the water in the sewer was rushing chaotically in a rage.

He had never felt this calm or strong before, his mind felt so clear and his thoughts so fluid.

"Now what, Kyuubi?"

The Kyuubi smiled beatifically. "** Kid, what you have done, only one person has ever done in history. Continue what you did before, turn your senses inward…Go on."**

Naruto determinedly turned his sense right back inward. Something was just beyond his reach…just there. He began reaching for it…

Unknown to him, the walls of his mindscape were close to bursting, but the Kyuubi's cell was intact. Naruto was in ecstasy, he had never felt this good before. So powerful, so strong.

The forests around Konoha seemed alive. Each and every tree in Konoha seemed greener and glossier all of a sudden.

It was almost as if nature itself was heralding a hitherto unseen event. Something sacred.

Nature chakra filled Naruto's mind and body to the brim. He took in more and more. He could feel the imperfections of his body correcting themselves. His ramen induced malnutrition was being erased completely. His pale and sickly skin was regaining its colour. His pale yellow coloured hair was becoming burning gold in colour. He could not even remember who he was in the torrent of potent nature chakra.

_Hashirama…_

The name floated in his head. He latched on to the name trying to regain his identity. The chakra was ecstasy so strong that it was painful.

_Hashirama…_

There was that name again. It meant something. What did it mean?

He opened his eyes and could see the Kyuubi clearly. It seemed to be shocked, in a foxy sort of way.

Suddenly the Fox faded out of sight and visions assaulted his mind. So clear that he could say he lived them. Thousands upon thousands of them.

An entire lifetime.

Visions of wars and peace made by him. Of treaties and trust created by him. Of love and betrayal experienced by him. They all assaulted him with the force of a battering ram. He was reeling.

But through it all, there was a sense of unfathomable power, indomitable will and bottomless compassion and love. A name. He needed a name. Who _was_ he?

The memories continued through childhood, youth and up to a battle with his dearest friend.

Battles fought and lost. Comrades gone and saved. These were too vivid and the feelings too personal to be just visions.

They were memories.

He could not stand it anymore. It was too much. He was dimly aware of himself screaming at the top of his voice and he could sense inconceivable amounts of chakra being released by him.

_Naruto._

_He was Naruto._

Names were beginning to associate themselves to the memories he had just experienced.

_Sarutobi Hiruzen._

_Uchiha Izuna._

_Mitokado Homura._

_Shimura Danzo_

_Senju Toka_

_Tsunade_

_Nawaki_

_Senju Tobirama_

_Uchiha Madara…_

The names went on and on with the memories associating themselves again with names and integrating themselves into his persona firmly. He had now lived two lives…a short life of a child called Naruto, and the illustrious life of a man, no a legend.

Senju Hashirama.

He was both Senju Hashirama and Uzumaki Naruto. His personalities were merging, both old and new.

He suddenly gave out; wanting to escape the strain of two lives lived. He blissfully slipped into slumber.

But Naruto's unconscious mind was working overtime. His chakra network was being modified to suit the needs of the legendary chakra of the Shodai. His muscles were being rebuilt by the nature chakra from their near atrophied state to something much stronger. But his mind was undergoing the greatest change incorporating the extremely massive knowledge and experience of Hashirama into itself.

Any saplings planted in Konoha suddenly burst into trees. Flowers bloomed everywhere in Konoha's forests as if it were springtime.

Something wonderful was being returned to the world.

**THE NEXT DAY**

The alarm clock blared hard, causing Naruto to wake up abruptly and bring down his fist hard on the damned thing.

CRASH!

The clock and the table on which it was seated broke into pieces, splinters flying everywhere. The noise caused Naruto to wake up with a rush.

He stared blearily at his wall clock, noting that he had around ten minutes to get to the academy.

His return to consciousness brought to attention the unmasking of his previous life. He knew somehow, that it was no transfer of memories or skills, no experiment gone right or wrong.

It was him remembering his previous life. He was both Hashirama and Naruto. He needed to think on this more. A crisis of identity never did good to anyone.

He glanced at his table.

"**Mokuton: Platform of wood"**

Instantaneously, trees sprouted from the floor and reshaped themselves into a rough approximation of a table.

He grimaced. It seemed that he did not have the control and muscle memory he had in his previous life. Those had to be reintegrated still. Evidently, the lack of chakra control was an aspect of his life as Naruto.

Shrugging off his pondering, he put on his orange jumpsuit and rushed to the academy. He could think more as he slept at class. Really, his reputation as a slacker did help sometimes.

Running full pelt, he skidded in front of the class doors.

"Sorry I'm late, Iruka sensei" he said calmly.

The class including Iruka seemed stunned at Naruto's new look. Though he still wore his horrible orange jumpsuit, he looked cool. His golden hair seemed to have grown to shoulder length. His body seemed extremely toned and solid, but what caught them all were his eyes.

The beautiful cerulean blue was gone, replaced by deep forest green eyes. The colour though striking was not important. It was the look in them that pierced his classmates and sensei, the look of compassion and love, shrewdness and joviality, most of all an agelessness and power that transcended human comprehension.

Naruto had changed drastically.

"Is there a problem?" Naruto asked.

"No, no. Go to your seat, Naruto."

Naruto nodded and coolly sat in his seat. Then he laid his head on the bench and started snoring softly as Iruka continued his lecture.

The class snickered its derision of the dead last and went back to normal. Even Iruka seemed relieved by Naruto's return to normalcy and continued his lecture.

Meanwhile, Naruto had descended down into his mindscape.

And he was greeted by an expected sight.

Instead of a dank sewer half waterlogged, there was an endless forest full of huge trees and exotic flowers. It was nature at its pinnacle.

Naruto smiled. As expected his mindscape had changed to accommodate him as Hashirama.

Now to search for the Kyuubi.

Putting his acute sensory capabilities to the test, he followed the trail of Kyuubi chakra through his mindscape.

The great Kyuubi no Kitsune was now in a different kind of prison. Instead of a dungeon of darkness, he was imprisoned in an imitation of Hashirama's technique.

A massive wooden cage with "**SEAL" **on its doors. It seemed that the Shiki Fuuin was still secure.

The Kyuubi opened its eyes and looked at Naruto. It seemed a lot calmer. In fact Naruto could sense no malice in its chakra. In fact, it seemed a lot like his own Mokuton chakra.

"**Greetings Naruto, or should I say Hashirama?"**

"Hello Kurama! Yeah, I used to be Hashirama in my previous life. I am both, actually. I am for a name, I am Naruto as I wish to be defined by this life alone. I acknowledge myself as Hashirama but he is of the past. I must look to the future… Anyway, I know next to nothing after the world as it is now. So tell me, Kurama. What happened to Mito?"

Kurama sighed. "**I was sealed in Mito for a long time. Later I was transferred to another Uzumaki girl, Kushina. Your mother in this life. Your father is Namikaze Minato, Yondaime Hokage. Before your birth, I was brought forcibly out of the seal, and forced to destroy Konoha."**

Naruto sighed "Sharingan. It was always a troublesome doujutsu. Do you have an idea who it was?"

**"He claimed to be Madara. He fought the fourth Hokage and lost. He had some good space-time ninjutsu."**

"It cannot be Madara. I killed him during our final battle. It is obviously an imitator. Something else is afoot in the world. I need to find out what. But first, I need to resurrect the true Konoha. Sarutobi has grown complacent…"

**"Yeah, yeah. Do what you want. Anyway do you think you could free me from this seal? I am sure you could supress me anyway, and I wouldn't mind having at least an illusion of freedom…"**

Naruto scratched his head. "No can do. I have only a small fraction of the chakra I had when I died and my control is atrocious. I had perfect control of my chakra and smooth flow. I can gain back my old control and gain regain a considerable amount of my old chakra capacity in a matter of months; it is only an issue of reconciling my old self with this self. So you'll have to wait a bit."

**"Fine…Anyway, it's good to see you back Hashirama. Your brat self was really annoying."**

Naruto grinned. "I suppose. It is quite close to how I was as a child in my life as Hashirama. It has been surprisingly easy to get adjusted to this new development…"

Naruto waved goodbye to Kurama and became conscious in the real world once more.

Raising his head, he looked at his classmates. Children, they were just children in a horrifying world. Konoha had fallen far.

He had to help these children become shinobi fast or they would die within months of becoming Genin. The reformation of Konoha would start with this generation.

His mistreatment for being Jinchuuriki was evidence to Konoha's decline from what it used to be during his day.

"NARUTO! Are you ready to talk about the Shodai Hokage?"

Naruto smiled happily and walked down to the stage. It is not often one gets a chance to talk of oneself in such glorious terms!

"The Shodai Hokage was Senju Hashirama. He was called the strongest Hokage and shinobi of his time and no one has ever surpassed him. He is called God of Shinobi due to his extreme power and intelligence. His closest family was Senju Tobirama, his little brother, who went on to become the Niidaime Hokage…"

**HALF AN HOUR LATER**

"….and he defeated Uchiha Madara at the valley of end" Naruto finished smugly.

The class was staring at Naruto stupefied. When did the dobe suddenly know the life of the first Hokage so intimately? What happened to the hyperactive loser who was jumping around like a moron proclaiming he would be Hokage?

Shikamaru stared at Naruto contemplatively. This was too much of a change for just one day. Naruto was no longer a loser, but he exuded a calm air of surety. His bearing was easy going and almost noble.

Troublesome.

Hinata stared at her long time crush. He seemed a new and deep person. Hyuuga were trained to observe and conclude from a very young age and the difference was apparent to the heiress. Activating her doujutsu, she looked at Naruto.

And she was mesmerised.

What used to be chaotic blue chakra was now gone. Instead Naruto seemed to be shining bright with what seemed to be a pure silver chakra running through his network smoothly like the currents of a free flowing river.

Naruto though was smiling contentedly in his head. The children were given a small overview of his life and they would remember it.

That reminded him; he had to find out what happened to his clan. There were no Senju children in the classroom.

So much to do.

Well, he had to lay low until he was a Genin. Then he would have access to shinobi resources and he could gather information. Till then he would perfect his chakra control and that would help his instinctive healing as well.

Ignoring the lectures of Iruka, he focused once more upon his life as Hashirama ordering and remembering with increasing clarity.

He would continue to remember and regain as time went by and he trained.

**TIMESKIP - GENIN EXAM DAY**

Naruto yawned as he saw Iruka calling for students to administer their qualifying exams. He sighed as he thought of the falling standards at Konoha. In the months since his awakening, Naruto had fully integrated the memories of his past life. He was not Hashirama or Naruto alone, but both. His chakra control had skyrocketed and it was almost the level it had been near his death. Absolute perfection.

He had not yet tried his Mokuton jutsu on a large scale, but he could feel that it would be easy as before.

His chakra capacity was about one-tenth his original capacity and growing rapidly, and his affinity to Doton and Suiton was as strong as ever. Surprisingly he had sensed in himself a Fuuton affinity but not trained in it. It would look less suspicious anyway when he would have to actually work for something.

His conversations with Kurama were most enlightening. He learned a lot of his mother, Uzumaki Kushina and her life. Evidently she was quite the Kenjutsu and Suiton user, strong enough to rival the Yondaime. She also taught the Yondaime the art of Fuuinjutsu. Her fate was still not clear to him. Kurama said she was still alive at the end of the sealing.

Which meant she could have abandoned him. Not that he had any need for a parental figure. He had outgrown that in a different lifetime. Sighing, he put away any thoughts of Uzumaki Kushina.

He had studied the books of history to catch up on what was happening in the shinobi world since his death. Apparently, the Uchiha were all slaughtered by their own prodigy Itachi. Itachi had then gone on to torture his brother mentally before sparing him. He certainly sympathised with the poor Uchiha child and held no ill will towards him for his broody and ill-tempered nature.

He needed to help the Uchiha child most of all, so he remained a dead last so he could be placed on that team.

"Uzumaki Naruto" Mizuki called.

Naruto always knew there was something about Mizuki that set him on edge. After his awakening it became even more apparent as he could sense the chuunin's hostile intent from about a mile away.

He pushed away thoughts of traitorous ninja and went to his teachers. He had a test to clear.

He faced Iruka.

"Alright, Naruto. Perform the Bunshin, Henge and Kawarimi in that order, and you will pass."

Naruto smiled. He performed the Bunshin alright. He did the perverted Oiroke no Jutsu version of Henge that amused him to no end. After waking up from a nosebleed that knocked him out, Iruka cajoled him into performing a perfect Henge which he did, transforming himself to Hashirama. He then did a proper Kawarimi and walked out with a Konoha hitai-ate.

After many sceptical responses from the children at the fact that he had actually passed and congratulations from Hinata, he settled down in front of the academy. Closing his eyes he extended his sensory abilities all over Konoha. His sensing range was greater than in his previous life, and he could sense twenty kilometres in every direction. He could tell the chakra natures of the ninja, their emotions, their capacity,… and he could even visualize the world in great detail for three kilometres in all directions. It was like a Byakugan without the ability to see tenketsu.

He spread his calming chakra all over the village, feeling the effects on the village. His village. He would always be here to protect the village he had founded.

He could sense an incoming chakra, which had a Doton nature. The emotions were hostile and upon deeper sensing he concluded it was Mizuki.

"Naruto?" came Mizuki's voice.

"Mizuki-sensei, is there a problem?" Naruto asked.

"No. I come here with an extra test for you, which upon passing you will be made the rookie of the year!"

_Smooth. Real Smooth. I have deceived and destroyed entire armies during war; my power literally rearranged the map of Konoha. You think to fool me with such pathetic excuses? _Naruto thought. He would go along with this and see what Mizuki was planning. He could clearly sense the chuunin's urgency and greed.

"What is this test, Mizuki-sensei?"

"All you have to do is sneak into the Hokage's tower and steal the scroll of seals. Get the scroll back to me and I will put it where it belongs. So what do you say, will you take the test?"

"Yes."

When he took down Mizuki, he would have to keep the power he exhibited down to a Genin level. It would not do for the world to know that Senju Hashirama was amongst them too early.

He supressed his chakra to his former near Kage level quantity and shot off towards the tower. He could sense Sarutobi in his office. He grinned evilly.

He knew just what would take care of the old pervert.

He faced the Hokage as soon as he sneaked into his office.

"Naruto, what are you doing here?"

"OIROKE NO JUTSU!" Naruto yelled, transforming into a scantily clad adorable girl. The Hokage flew back with a nosebleed.

He hastily grabbed the scroll of sealing that was sticking out from the bunch of scrolls arranged on a rack and made a run for it.

He could clearly sense the Hokage's puzzlement and a flare of his chakra. He could feel Sarutobi's chakra surround him and he could trace it back to the office.

He concluded that he was being watched.

Anyway, he happily opened the scroll of sealing and scanned the Jutsu inside. All were familiar to him: various elemental techniques, shunshin, and Kage shuriken no jutsu…

He was particularly intrigued by the Kage Bunshin technique. It seemed a good substitute for his wood clone even if a little inferior. He could comprehend the kinjutsu fast enough. He _was _Senju Hashirama, after all.

Suddenly he could feel a chakra approaching him. Iruka.

He calmly waited for the man to approach him. "Naruto, what are you doing with that scroll?"

"Mizuki-sensei asked me to get this scroll for the Rookie position! I passed! Isn't that great Iruka sensei?" Naruto exclaimed, jumping up and down childishly.

"Yes that's great, Naruto. Now give me the scroll!" Mizuki's voice joined the enfolding drama.

"Don't Naruto, he is a traitor trying to use you!"

"Quiet, Iruka. Naruto, do you know why you are so hated in this village?"

"Yes, I do" Naruto deadpanned. Mizuki and Iruka were astonished.

"WHAT!"

This was also echoed by the Sandaime, who was spying on Naruto. Using Mizuki's surprise as an opening, Naruto performed seals at a Genin speed.

_"Shunshin no Jutsu"_

Naruto appeared behind Mizuki and placed his first two fingers on the chakra junction on Mizuki's neck. Before he could react, Naruto pumped a minute amount of his chakra into Mizuki, rendering him unconscious.

He turned to Iruka.

"How was that, Iruka Sensei?"

Iruka just stared at him, before saying proudly

"You are a true Genin and fine Shinobi of the leaf, Naruto!"

Naruto just smiled. So did the Hokage.

"You hide many things, Naruto. You will go far, so far that even I cannot imagine it!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you all for the reviews, follows and encouragement! I deeply appreciate it. Enjoy my story as I will keep the updates coming.**

**Regards,**

**Karldin.**

CHAPTER 2

The Sandaime Hokage looked through his all-seeing crystal ball, gazing contemplatively at the most intriguing ninja in the village at the moment, Naruto.

The boy was an enigma wrapped in a mystery, as seen from his effortless incapacitation of the traitor Mizuki. He had displayed the shunshin no jutsu with a rare ease. Iruka was amazed that he could even perform the technique, but Hiruzen knew better. Naruto had performed the seals with too much ease and too less concentration showing on his face. It was as if the technique was second nature to him.

And how did he know to strike vital points? True, the theory was explained in the academy but students were not expected to know it. The mastery that Naruto had displayed was interesting. What Naruto had done could be done only by an experienced Medic nin, a Hyuuga or a ninja with considerable battle experience none of which applied to Naruto.

"The Jounin are here, Hokage-sama" announced his secretary.

"Send them in." said Hiruzen. The Jounin filed in quietly. Asuma, Kurenai, Aoba, Kakashi and other Jounin here for their team assignments stood at attention waiting for him to speak.

Well, Kakashi not so much. The pervert as usual was reading his beloved Icha Icha series. The Sandaime looked at the book closely and his eyes grew round.

A limited series edition of Icha Icha violence! This was pure gold! He had to get this meeting over with as soon as possible and get that book from Kakashi. He grinned his closet pervert grin at the prospect…

Kurenai coughed, noticing Kakashi reading the damned book and the Sandaime trying really hard to get a look at the book without being obvious about it.

"Um, Hokage-sama…Don't we have team assignments to do..?" she asked primly.

Hiruzen cleared his throat, looking disappointed.

"Yes. Yes we do. Now, then. These are the teams assigned. Aoba will get team 1 consisting of…"

He went on until:

"Hatake Kakashi will get team 7 consisting of Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura and Uzumaki Naruto."

Kakashi looked up mildly interested, nodded and went back to his reading. Hiruzen could understand that.

"Team 8 will be Hyuuga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba and Aburame Shino under Yuuhi Kurenai"

The beautiful Kurenai nodded.

"Team 9 is still in circulation. Therefore, team 10 will be Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Chouji and Yamanaka Ino under Sarutobi Asuma."

Asuma nodded, pleased at the fact that the second generation Ino-Shika-Cho trio was under him.

Hiruzen looked at them all.

"This completes the team assignments for this year's Genin. You will have today to observe your assigned Genin and will have to begin operation from tomorrow. Good luck to you all."

The Jounin nodded solemnly and turned to leave.

"Kakashi, stay back. We have some important matters to discuss", Hiruzen ordered, looking intently at the treasure trove in Kakashi's hands.

Kurenai looked at the two of them disgustedly before exiting.

**NEXT DAY AT THE ACADEMY**

Naruto waited patiently for his sensei Hatake Kakashi to make his appearance. He was assigned to team 7 along with Sasuke and Sakura.

This would be an excellent opportunity for him to test the strength of the current Jounin of the village. He had to take care not to let loose though. He had a tendency to do that in a good fight.

He knew well that he had Hiruzen's eye on him even more than usual from his display with Mizuki.

The secret of his true identity could not be given out lightly, even to his former student. He would have to probe Hiruzen closely and judge how much his student had changed over the years.

Kakashi was already running late by two hours and the irritation from this fact was showing on the faces of both his team mates.

Sasuke looked like a thundercloud. Naruto observed him closely and supressed a smile. The kid looked exactly like Tobirama did when he was that age. Same stoic demeanour, same lack of speech and irritation with fan girls. The only thing difference was a sense of arrogance Sasuke had picked up along the way.

Oh, well. He could change that. After all, he had mentored far more stubborn kids and turned them into great ninja. Hiruzen himself was a case in point.

The boy was obviously slightly unstable. The mental torture he had purportedly suffered could be an effect of Tsukuyomi and that would be bad. The whole Uchiha affair felt wrong to him.

Clan prodigies don't usually go nuts and slaughter their clan at the drop of a hat. Uchiha Itachi obviously had a good reason for doing what he did and he had also incited Sasuke's hatred for a reason.

Sasuke like the impressionable child he was had fallen neck deep into hatred and vengeance. The child was suffering. The Uchiha mess bore more investigation.

He still had little knowledge of what happened after he was gone. Hearsay, books and rumours were not real sources of knowledge as they were always fabricated. He would know, as he had done the fabricating himself when he was Hokage.

What unnerved him was that the Senju clan had just disappeared and the only known descendant was Tsunade. He smiled again as he thought of his granddaughter; he had spoiled her so much when she was little.

It made him proud when he found out that Tsunade had made such a name for herself in the shinobi world. His little girl had grown so much…

His thoughts were interrupted as the door opened and a tall, lean man with gravity defying spiky white hair walked in. Opening his senses, he began to investigate the chakra of Hatake Kakashi.

"Team 7?"

"YOU ARE LATE!" Sakura yelled.

"Hai, hai" Kakashi eye smiled lazily. "My first impression of you… you are all boring. Meet me on the roof."

He disappeared with a leaf shunshin.

Naruto too disappeared with a shunshin, stunning his teammates.

**ON THE ROOF**

Naruto stared at Kakashi as he appeared on the roof with his jutsu. The Jounin hardly looked surprised, which meant that he was informed of what little capability he had shown. He was intensely reading an orange coloured book but Naruto could see that he was very aware of his surroundings and was watching his student closely.

He continued sensing Kakashi's chakra. The Jounin had about as much chakra as he did before his awakening, which was good. He could sense three natures in the man's chakra: Raiton, Doton and Suiton.

Not bad. And he could sense something all too familiar about his covered eye. Sharingan.

He sensed the chakra surrounding the eye carefully. The chakra emanating from the eye was far more sinister than a normal Sharingan.

_Mangekyou Sharingan_.

Either his sensei was a power hungry maniac, or he had experienced intense loss. The latter option seemed more plausible, as he was a shinobi under Hiruzen. Also his emotions were all over the place.

Surprise, regret,…pride. Why would the man feel pride? This man was intriguing. He would have to find out more about him.

His musings were interrupted when Sakura and Sasuke joined them. Kakashi put down the book and began speaking.

"Good, you are here. Took you long enough. Anyway, start introducing yourselves. You, pinkie, start."

Scowling at being christened "pinkie", Sakura replied. "Why don't you go first and give us an example, sensei?"

Kakashi sighed. "Fine, my name is Hatake Kakashi. I have many likes, dislikes are too many to name. My dream is none of your business,…I have many hobbies…", he finished and stared expectantly at Sakura.

Naruto sweatdropped. He had just gotten the name of the man.

"My name is Haruno Sakura. I like…" she blushed and stared at Sasuke." I dislike Naruto!"

Naruto shook his head. _Children._

"My hobbies are…", she glanced at Sasuke again. " My dream for the future is…" a final glance at Sasuke.

Kakashi sighed once more.

"You next, Blondie."

Naruto stared at Kakashi, and began his own introduction.

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto. I like forests and gardening. I dislike traitors and power hungry maniacs. My dream for the future is to increase Konoha's power and prestige as its Hokage. My hobbies are practicing my Jutsu and reading research texts on the nature of chakra…"

Kakashi stared at him. There was much more to Naruto than those academy reports said. Those forest green eyes of his were too unnerving. They were ageless and compassionate and the boy himself radiated unbridled power.

Kakashi wasn't a Jounin for nothing. He knew Naruto was suppressing his chakra to seem like it was at its previous levels. He had observed the boy with his Sharingan the previous day and found that his chakra network was extremely superior, even more so than Minato-Sensei.

He was obviously letting only a fraction of his true strength show, and it alarmed Kakashi that what chakra he allowed to manifest was about as much as the Sandaime.

There was the matter of his chakra itself. It was pure shining silver, instead of the usual bright blue. The Kyuubi chakra was nowhere to be found in his network. It was as if he was not a Jinchuuriki.

He had to watch out for his sensei's son.

"You go next, broody."

Sasuke snorted. "My name is Uchiha Sasuke. I like nothing and hate everything. My dream, no…my ambition is to kill a certain man, and restore my clan."

Kakashi stared at them a moment longer.

"Alright, the three of you are interesting and that is good. Meet me tomorrow at training ground seven at 6:00 AM for the real Genin test"

"WHAT!" Sakura yelled.

Naruto sighed. The girl did not know the meaning of calm speech.

"The exam you took at the academy was merely a filter. This is the real survival test, and I warn you, the pass rate is not very encouraging. Oh, and do not eat any breakfast. You don't want to puke all over the ground do you?"

Kakashi waved at them and disappeared.

Naruto turned to his teammates.

"Sasuke, Sakura. Do you want to get some ramen and get to know each other better?"

Sasuke snorted a no and turned away. Sakura didn't even look at Naruto and ran after Sasuke.

_Children these days,_ Naruto thought disappointedly.

**THE NEXT DAY, TRAINING GROUND SEVEN**

Naruto looked at his teammates. Sasuke was here early and was practicing the routines of the Uchiha Taijutsu style.

Sakura was watching him devotedly, a smile of bliss on her face.

He could see several holes in Sasuke's style. If he tried to correct the boy, he would obviously be derided. Uchiha respected power.

So he would make his first bonds by showing the Uchiha child a little of his power.

Naruto walked a little distance from where Sasuke was practicing his Taijutsu and settled into the opening stance of the Senju Taijutsu style he had customized to suit his sensory capabilities.

As the Shodai Hokage, he was feared for his Taijutsu as well, but he rarely had to use it outside training. His enemies usually ran instead of confronting him.

The last good Taijutsu fight he had was with his rival Madara. Even his Taijutsu fights with Madara were highly destructive.

Casting off thoughts of Madara, he began flowing through the stances of the "Nature Style" as he had named it.

It emphasized speed, grace and power. Counterattacks were made by sensing the opponents approach and intentions.

Sasuke and Sakura had stopped their activities and began watching Naruto.

They were stunned. The so called dead last flew through the stances of a Taijutsu style unknown with increasing speed.

He struck gracefully at an imaginary opponent with his palm and pivoted smoothly to kick another phantom in the face. His speed too was increasing, he seemed like a blur to them almost.

Naruto flared his chakra as he flew through his stances. Bright silver chakra became visible around his gracefully moving form.

He was saturating the air with his chakra. The whole area around him started to feel charged with potent chakra.

His strikes were becoming faster and faster. Naruto almost laughed in joy. It seemed that the muscle memory and grace he had developed as Hashirama were still as strong as ever.

He finished his routine with a graceful palm strike and his chakra flared.

Sasuke and Sakura stared wide-eyed.

The ground in front of Naruto's extended palm was furrowed in a straight line for about ten yards, testifying to the power of that final strike. Wherever Naruto had done his graceful practice, the grass was ripped up and torn.

Sasuke walked up to Naruto.

"How did you do that, dobe? Who taught you that Taijutsu style?"

"I created it myself", Naruto shrugged.

"Impossible. There is no way _you_ can create such a powerful Taijutsu!"

Naruto almost snorted. The child thought what he had done _now_ was powerful. When he had trained as Hashirama and let loose with his nature fist, entire sections of forest were destroyed. He used to repair those sections with Mokuton.

"Believe what you wish, Sasuke. Now, let us cease our argument. Our sensei is here."

Sasuke glared at Naruto and then walked off with Sakura, who was shooting her usual dirty glances at him.

Kakashi appeared in the ground at looked at the portion of ground that was ripped up and torn.

"What happened here?" he queried.

Sakura was so caught up in her thoughts that she had not even berated him for his lateness.

"It was Naruto, sensei. He did that when he practiced his Taijutsu." Sakura answered him, struggling to hide her awe at what she had seen.

"I see" Kakashi said. Inside he was shocked to the core. Another facet of Naruto's concealed power. Not even Gai's Gouken was so naturally destructive.

He needed to be careful if Naruto's Taijutsu was this damaging.

He held up two bells, jingling them. "See these bells. You have to get them from me in another one and a quarter hour, this is your Genin test. The one who gets no bell will be back at the academy. Come at me with the intent to kill. Clear?"

Naruto was amused. He was getting tested by the very test he had created. He could almost see little Hiruzen and his team doing this very test back in the day.

It seemed tradition had been handed down the line.

Sasuke and Sakura looked determined. They nodded and ran to hide in the surrounding trees.

Naruto also nodded and disappeared. He went to hide in another section of the forest and hid his presence. The forest was his territory, after all.

Extending his senses, he could feel Sasuke near the fringe of the forest obviously watching Kakashi.

Sakura was a little distance away from him and she felt trepidation and fright. Sasuke was anxious and excited.

Oh well, he would wait for Kakashi to finish off his teammates before he went in himself. Unless they got the concept of teamwork before getting annihilated, which was unlikely.

He watched as Kakashi materialized behind Sakura and put her in a Genjutsu which knocked her out.

He would wait.

…

Kakashi went back to the clearing and whipped out his orange book and started reading.

This was puzzling to the veteran Jounin. According to all reports, Naruto should have been the one to attack him head on, but judging by what he saw of Naruto he should have expected the unexpected from the Blonde.

Kakashi abruptly turned and blocked a kick from Sasuke. The boy kicked hard for a Genin.

They engaged in a reasonably fast paced Taijutsu match.

Sasuke used the typical Uchiha Taijutsu, which was rather ineffective without the Sharingan. He could have knocked the kid out within an instant but he pushed him to innovate and get unpredictable.

But it was in vain. The kid had no adaptability or creativity. Getting bored, he knocked away the Uchiha with a rather gentle kick.

Sasuke looked angered that he was cast away so easily.

"I am different from the others." He said to Kakashi with gritted teeth.

"I am sure you are"

Kakashi could sense a build-up of chakra in the boy and he recognized the hand seals that were used.

Not bad, the boy had learned some good stuff. He pocketed his book.

"_Katon: Gokakyuu no Jutsu"_

Sasuke had spit out a medium sized fireball at Kakashi who just disappeared. The fireball left a small crater where he had stood.

Sasuke looked around frantically for his missing sensei. Before he knew it, he was buried underground with just his head sticking out.

"_Doton: Shinju Zanshu no Jutsu"_ Kakashi said calmly. The boy was good, but he had missed the point of the test.

He just had to wait for Naruto. It was too bad this team would fail.

….

Naruto was deep in thought as he saw Kakashi dispatch Sasuke with ease. The boy was good for his age, and with some good moulding he would be a powerful shinobi.

It was time for him to see just what made Jounin in Konoha these days.

It seemed that he would have to show a little more of what he was capable of today.

Performing a single handed _shunshin_ he appeared in front of Kakashi.

" Oh,so you have appeared. You may have improved a bit, but what makes you think you can defeat a Jounin singlehandedly?"

Naruto smiled.

"Stuff it, Kakashi-sensei. I know you want us to work as a team, but you must understand that there is a flaw in this test"

Kakashi's eyes widened considerably and then narrowed at him.

"It seems you have understood. But what flaw are you talking about?"

"Teamwork is developed through bonds of experiences, and cannot be expected to bloom from nothing and that too among three people who don't even know each other. But anyway, I will get the bells and we will pass…"

Kakashi narrowed his eyes once more. "You overestimate yourself, Naruto."

Naruto gathered and flared enough chakra to match Kakashi, showing a faint silver aura around his body. He held up the half ram seal and disappeared.

Kakashi was astonished at the kid's mastery of the _shunshin_ technique. He barely had time to think as Naruto appeared behind him and aimed a kick at his head. Underestimating Naruto, he did something foolish.

He blocked the kick and was sent crashing into the trees a hundred yards away for his trouble.

Sasuke stared wide-eyed at the power exhibited by Naruto. What had happened to the dobe?

Naruto extended his senses and felt Kakashi behind him.

"You substituted with a shadow clone before you hit the trees, didn't you?" Naruto asked, pleased.

Kakashi nodded and pocketed his book again. The kid had hit as hard as Gai with his weights off. He was truly something else.

Naruto disappeared with another shunshin and attacked Kakashi with a palm and the duo engaged in a fierce Taijutsu battle.

Kakashi was good. He blocked each strike of the nature fist and dispersed the chakra concentrated in his strikes with great expertise. Naruto was impressed with the Jounin.

"You are good, Kakashi-sensei"

"You are too good, Naruto. Where did you learn this style of fighting?"

"I created this style. It is mine, and mine alone. So why don't you bring out that Sharingan of yours? Let us take it up to the next level…"

Kakashi was floored. He felt as if he was the one who was being tested. The blonde-haired Genin was too good. Way too good. He had landed debilitating strikes and was obviously holding back massively.

"Fine, I will…"

Naruto stared at the mature Sharingan eye of Kakashi. He felt a disturbance in his own chakra and calmed it with a single thought.

"My chakra is special, Kakashi. Such simple Genjutsu won't work on me."

Kakashi stared at him for a moment before disappearing with a blur of speed and attacking him with a high kick.

Naruto dodged it and once again they began their Taijutsu battle. Kakashi was able to dodge and counter most of his strikes easily thanks to his Sharingan.

Their battle was escalating. To Sasuke they were simply blurs that created small craters when they touched the ground. His mind was stirring with jealousy and awe.

How was this possible? Naruto was going toe to toe with a Jounin and was not even breathing hard!

Kakashi's prowess at Taijutsu was excellent. Naruto grinned happily. He had to do this more often. Slipping under Kakashi's punch, he dealt a moderately powered palm to his chest.

Kakashi flew back and landed on the ground with a backflip.

He blurred through a series of hand seals.

"_Suiton: Teppodama"_

Balls of water at high velocity flew at Naruto. He dodged them all with amazing grace and efficiency and gathered a massive amount of chakra that manifested as an extremely bright cloak of silver chakra. They had about ten minutes to the end of the test.

Kakashi too gathered his chakra in preparation to counter the Genin's jutsu.

Naruto again did the unexpected, and disappeared with an extremely high powered shunshin.

Before Kakashi could blink, he reappeared next to Sasuke's head, holding up the two bells in his hand.

"We pass, Kakashi-sensei"

Kakashi stared at him, amazed and proud. True he himself was also holding back a lot, but Naruto had impressed him. He was truly a prodigy on Uchiha Itachi's level.

"You most definitely do, Naruto. All of you pass. Dig out Sasuke and get Sakura will you? "

Naruto dragged out Sasuke from his hole, smiling. Sakura joined them looking ashamed.

Kakashi stared at his three students with a serious gaze. "Do you see the headstone over there? The names inscribed there are shinobi of Konoha that were killed in action. My friends' names are also on that stone"

The three stared at him solemnly.

"Always remember this: _those who break the rules are trash, but those who abandon their friends are worse than trash_"

Naruto stared at the man, his respect for him rising. That was a worthy creed he lived by, much like his own. He had held his own against Senju Hashirama's Taijutsu even at a watered down level.

This was a worthy man and shinobi.

"We are Team 7 from now on, and we will begin our missions from tomorrow. Be here at the same time tomorrow for missions"

The three nodded.

**ONE MONTH LATER**

Naruto looked at Hiruzen listlessly as he droned on and on about how missions were assigned and distributed to the various ranking shinobi.

The past month had seen Team 7 doing various D-rank missions. This was just a euphemism for pointless chores.

The D-rank they had just completed was one of the most annoying missions ever. They had gone to capture one cat called "Tora". That damn cat was so elusive...

It had mauled him and Sasuke mercilessly. Sakura did not even get her hands on the irritating fur ball.

It had given them great satisfaction to see the thing squished to death by the daimyo's portly wife.

Hiruzen had then gone on to assign to them even more D-ranks and all three of them had put their foot down.

Their united yell of vehement denial had made Kakashi proud; his kids were being a team! But Hiruzen was far from understanding as he and Iruka were now going on and on about missions and such…

Naruto was currently holding a conversation with his tenant.

Kurama looked at Naruto from his spacious cage.

"**Hashirama, do you know why I have brought you here?" **the fox asked him seriously.

"No. Why?"

**"I know a way you can kill the Masked Man easily. Listen carefully…"**

Naruto lavished his complete attention on the fox. This could well be what he was after…Kurama had so much experience that he could well be called a baby in comparison.

**"Just tell him about how you, the GREAT Senju Hashirama, ran all around Konoha to catch a CAT! He will die LAUGHING…"**

Naruto had a tic marc on his face as he stared at the fox that was laughing heartily at his expense.

It pointed a finger or rather, a claw at him.

**"No, tell him about how a chicken pooped on your head when you were collecting eggs…HAHAHAHAAAAAA!"**

Enough.

He had had enough.

Exiting back to the physical world he stared down Hiruzen. The old fool had stopped his boring lecture and was pinned down by Naruto's forest green eyes.

"Enough, old man. Give us a C-rank mission NOW!"

Hiruzen looked amused and a bit harried. He looked at Kakashi. Iruka was looking at Naruto and mouthing at him frantically to show proper respect to the Hokage.

Naruto found this irony bittersweet. He could now understand how little Hiruzen had felt as he and Tobirama had dumped D-rank upon D-rank on him and his team.

The tables were now turned.

"They are ready for a C-rank Hokage-sama. Aren't you, team?"

Team 7 nodded quickly. They were ready to participate in a war to escape those D-ranks. So yes, they were ready alright.

"Bring in Tazuna-san, Iruka"

They all watched as Iruka ushered in a middle aged drunk.

"So you are the ones who are assigned to protect me...hic..." Tazuna slurred.

Sasuke asked the Hokage, "Why is this old drunkard here?"

"He is your mission, obviously. You are to protect him as he returns to Nami No Kuni to complete his bridge. Do you accept?" Hiruzen asked.

"…hic…do you think those kids can even protect themselves, let alone protect me?" Tazuna asked drunkenly.

Sasuke stared the old drunkard in his eyes, unleashing his killing intent. Tazuna suddenly snapped into sobriety, unable to withstand even that small killing intent. Well, he _was _a civilian.

"Now, now… Sasuke. Intimidating the client is not good for business, is it?"

Sasuke let up reluctantly. He still looked rather pissed.

"We can protect you, Tazuna-san. I myself am a Jounin and am more than enough for a C-rank mission. Rest assured, you are in safe hands" Kakashi said soothingly.

Naruto could sense apprehension and deception floating off the old drunkard. He was obviously lying about the mission parameters.

They would need to be on guard.

"We leave tomorrow at first light. Meet us at North gate, Tazuna-san" Kakashi said.

**THE NEXT DAY, ROAD TO WAVE COUNTRY**

Sasuke stared at Naruto. The Uchiha had spent the previous month researching the Uchiha archives for any record of the kind of Taijutsu Naruto used.

He had never heard of such a style. Each strike seemed to be infused with chakra and required perfect chakra control.

After a month of poring over dusty archives for such a Taijutsu, he had come up with vague results. It seemed that the Senju had used something like Naruto's Taijutsu in battle.

It had evidently made him nigh indomitable in a Taijutsu fight as the power of his strikes kept on increasing.

He had kept his distance from Naruto after he had fought Kakashi to a stalemate and got the bells. Uchiha respected power, and Naruto had spades of that.

The blonde was obviously hiding something major, and he would find out what.

…

Sakura was also thinking of Naruto and his change. Just a few months back, he was the comic relief for the rookies of Konoha.

But now he had changed so much that he was not even recognizable. He used to be more of a little shrimp who wore bright orange and shouted about how he would be the Hokage.

But now he was different. He still retained his bright personality, but he seemed wise and compassionate.

Oh, and powerful. Untrained though she was, the aura of strength that surrounded Naruto of late did not go unnoticed by her. Or by anyone else.

The rest of the rookies had asked Sakura just what had happened to the prank loving dobe.

She had no answers for them.

But she did know that Naruto was far beyond the reach of any mere Genin. This realization had sobered her up.

She had then resolved to actually train and stop holding Naruto and Sasuke back. She refused to be the weak link for team 7.

This did not go unappreciated by Naruto, who had kindly forgotten her previous indiscretions and restarted their relationship on a clean slate.

She was happy. Team 7 was her family and she did not let down family.

….

Naruto walked down the road, letting his sense wash around the landscape in all directions, keeping alert for any threat.

He found two.

Said threats were currently disguised as puddles of water. He smirked in his mind.

Seriously, that was a very substandard Genjutsu. One, it had not rained the previous day and two, there was no real water source nearby. Any ninja worth his salt would have noticed the two idiots.

Both had water natured chakras.

He knew Sasuke and Kakashi had also noticed the "puddles", by the fluctuation in their emotions.

He looked at Sasuke and nodded. He received a nod in acknowledgement. Kakashi seemed as oblivious as ever.

Suddenly the two puddles became Ninja who wielded chained blades. They pounced upon Kakashi and tore him to shreds.

Sakura let out a high pitched shriek and froze on the spot.

Naruto and Sasuke glanced at each other and shot off at the two Missing ninja. Sasuke formed seals fast and shot out a fireball at the nearest ninja who countered with a water bullet.

Naruto appeared behind the other ninja and sent a palm, which was blocked. The force of the palm sent the ninja staggering.

He reinforced his palm with his Mokuton chakra and struck the enemy hard sending him flying into the tree behind, knocking him unconscious.

Sasuke himself was engaging his opponent with his clearly improved Taijutsu. It was a stalemate.

Suddenly Kakashi appeared and knocked down Sasuke's adversary.

"KAKASHI-SENSEI!" Sakura cried in relief. Naruto nodded in approval, having noticed his substitution before.

Kakashi glared at Tazuna.

"This is no C-rank, Tazuna-san. You have lied to us and it is well within our rights to stop here…"

Tazuna was sweating profusely and explained about the shipping Tycoon Gato. The wave country was apparently run over by his company and totally oppressed.

The bridge built by Tazuna was the hope for the country as it connected the island to the mainland and made Gato's shipping redundant.

"Let us continue with the mission, Kakashi sensei. That country is obviously in need of our services and it will be good for Konoha to have a potentially prosperous country like wave in its debt." Naruto reasoned with Kakashi. The Hokage in him was coming out to play.

Kakashi sighed. "What do you two say?" he asked Sakura and Sasuke.

Sasuke nodded affirmatively, as did Sakura.

"We will continue, Tazuna-san"

Tazuna sighed in relief and continued on the path towards wave country.

Naruto followed, keeping his sensing active constantly. He needed a place to let loose his Ninjutsu. Preferably a large and isolated plane.

His chakra was very special after all, and any spike in it would be noted by Hiruzen and his old team, so he could not unleash even a small portion of his strength in Konoha.

He would have to get reacquainted with Mokuton somehow.

….

"Kakashi-sensei, I can sense two chakras just ahead. Both are quite large, and one chakra is comparable to yours. What do we do?", Naruto asked.

Kakashi looked alert. "Be ready for attack everybody. Sakura, guard Tazuna. Sasuke and Naruto will back me up."

They all nodded and proceeded onwards.

About half an hour later, Naruto could sense one of the chakras close and signalled his team.

This person was clearly Jounin and had a strong water affinity, and his emotions were a kind of predatory rage. He would be a dangerous opponent.

They suddenly heard a buzzing sound steadily increasing.

"GET DOWN!" Kakashi yelled, and everyone dropped down. A large Zanbatou whirled towards them and missed them by a small margin. It embedded itself deeply in a tree by edge.

Crouched upon the blade was a masked ninja who stared at them steadily.

"Sharingan no Kakashi, no wonder the Demon Brothers failed." He said in a deep voice, surveying the team with a critical eye.

Kakashi too stared back. "Zabuza Momoichi, demon of the bloody mist. All of you guard Tazuna. This fight is beyond you"

Zabuza wrenched his blade from the tree and walked towards the group and stood opposite Kakashi.

The environment around them was thick with the chakra they were releasing. The very air was heavy in anticipation.

The two Jounin started leaking strong killer intent into the air. Tazuna who was unaccustomed to this sank down to the floor in terror. Sakura's face was set in a rictus of terror.

Sasuke drew closer to Naruto who stood there unconcernedly.

"What is this…?" he whispered.

Naruto could see that the killing intent was heavily affecting his teammates. Drawing Mokuton chakra, he released it into the air calming the frightened Genin and client.

Zabuza and Kakashi looked at this new phenomenon in interest.

"Good trick, kid. Do you believe that will save you?"

Naruto snorted. "Save the cliché threats, Zabuza. Tell me, where is your accomplice?"

"A sensor ninja, right?" Zabuza asked, intrigued. "Silent killing won't work, then…"

He suddenly disappeared and attacked Kakashi with a powerful swing of his giant blade. Kakashi blocked calmly with his kunai.

The two then went on to engage in a fierce Kenjutsu fight, shockwaves erupting from the collision of their blades. They were so fast that it seemed like rain hitting metal continuously.

Zabuza tried to cleave Kakashi in two with a heavy swing, but Kakashi slipped under his guard and buried his kunai in his opponent's chest.

Zabuza dissolved into water and the original appeared behind Kakashi and kicked him hard off the bridge right into the water.

A clone of Zabuza formed next to Kakashi and trapped him in a sphere of water.

Zabuza grinned.

"You are taken care of for now, Kakashi. Watch as I kill your Genin right in front of your eyes!"

Kakashi cursed himself for falling to such a simple strategy. He had to intensify his training as he seemed rusty.

"RUN! YOU ARE NO MATCH FOR HIM!"

Zabuza grinned again, "That's right brats. Listen to sensei and run. Leave the bridge builder, though and I might let you live. I want Kakashi's head for my bounty…"

Sasuke and Sakura flinched but gripped their Kunai tightly.

Naruto was irritated, though. How dare that man threaten his comrades? He would need to put the creep in his place.

_Senju Hashirama did not run from such annoyances._

"Sasuke, Sakura, leave this to me and guard Tazuna", Naruto ordered calmly.

"Oho! It looks like the little Genin is stepping up! You three are not true ninja-"

He suddenly stopped his dramatic monologue as he watched Naruto.

Massive amounts of silver chakra exploded from Naruto, saturating the air and almost bringing Zabuza down to his knees. The ground around the blond started cracking from the immense pressure.

Zabuza stared in alarm at the boy who was supposedly a Genin. He needed to be put down fast, so he blurred through his hand seals.

"_Suiton: Suiryuudan no Jutsu"_, he roared causing a huge water dragon to rise from the lake and rush towards Naruto.

Kakashi stared with growing horror. Sasuke and Sakura closed their eyes at what they assumed was their impending doom.

Naruto clapped his hands calmly in a serpent seal.

"_Doton: Daichi no Kabe"_ he intoned calmly.

A huge wall of earth rose to shield the group from the water dragon, easily dissipating it.

Kakashi stared with pride and curiosity at the blond who had performed a high level Jutsu casually with only one seal.

Sasuke and Sakura were just frozen with shock at the display of such power.

Zabuza frantically blurred through another seal sequence.

"_Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu_" he yelled, and a huge spiral of water rose from the lake and blasted with unbelievable force towards Naruto.

Naruto did not release the serpent seal.

"_Doton: Asudoragon no tasu"_, he said quietly.

The earth in front of Naruto exploded, releasing four huge earth Dragons. Two of them neutralized the onrushing water jutsu, and two collided with Zabuza sending him flying.

He was obviously grievously injured when he landed heavily on the shore. Before Naruto could finish the job, the dormant accomplice appeared and ran with Zabuza fast.

Kakashi appeared next to Naruto.

"Leave them, we will be ready for them later. Tazuna-san, lead the way to your house. Sakura and Sasuke, protect him."

The three nodded and went on, still staring at Naruto with awe.

Kakashi gave Naruto a hard glare.

"You have a lot to answer for, Naruto".


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

**TAZUNA'S HOUSE, NAMI NO KUNI.**

It was the day after Team 7 confronted Zabuza. A day after Naruto drove Zabuza back effortlessly and ignited suspicion in Kakashi's mind.

Naruto sat at the shore of Wave country, the wind ruffling his hair. He waited for sunrise and Kakashi with a calm look on his face.

He had thought long and hard as to what to say to Kakashi and decided upon a course of action.

Since the awakening of his previous life, he had given himself little time for self-introspection. He had created for himself an illusion of normalcy over the months, and his deceptive mask was beginning to seep into his true personality. As if remembering a previous life, that too his life as the Shodai Hokage would ever be normal.

The ease with which he had forced a supposedly A-rank criminal to flee forced him to truly confront his awakening. There was always a niggling doubt in his mind that he had gone mad. But the fight with Zabuza had erased that doubt forever, even more so than the tussle with Kakashi a month ago.

Thus he had finally asked himself the important question.

Who was he, truly? He did not think like the old Naruto anymore. No, he had lived and lost too much for that, even if only in mind and another life.

The old Naruto was a boy who was starved for affection, cast out and abused by the very populace he was sacrificed to protect. So he put up a bright front and drew attention to himself, seeking to convince himself that he was a normal part of a normal society.

The truth hurt, so he had shielded himself with a lie. It was the thinking of a child.

Ever since he realized his previous life, things got more complicated. He had grown into the experienced and the highly cultured mind he had developed as Hashirama rather abruptly.

During the months he spent sorting the two lives he had lived, he was flitting between the personalities he possessed during this life and his previous. He knew that was not healthy, and that he was developing a psychological disorder.

Luckily, Senju Hashirama also knew a way to treat this disorder. He used to be the foremost medic of his age, after all and had a working knowledge of psychology.

Thus he had come here to the quiet shores of Nami to meditate and accept himself, to stop just using his life as Hashirama. He was here to become the person he used to be as Hashirama.

Naruto's life was too melancholy to be dwelt upon. The scars, mental or physical, endured during childhood went deeper than those gained as an adult.

They healed faster as well, but he was denied the innocent forgetfulness and forgiveness of a child. No, he was forced into the thinking and strength of his legendary previous life and that had changed him in unexpected ways.

Senju Hashirama, despite his life and losses was extremely strong. Both as a shinobi and as a man.

He had taken all the challenges life threw at him with fortitude and cheerfulness, and he was extremely easy going.

He had refused to give in to the dark side of a Shinobi, strongly remaining a beacon of solace and hope to the village he had founded.

He was the light of Konoha, an unassailable force that kept the village strong and prosperous. A guiding force of mercy and compassion.

Naruto on the other hand knew little happiness during his childhood. Stripped of parents, love and forced to survive in a cold and hostile village. He had developed a sad and melancholy view of life, and was considerably confused and angry.

He now drew solace from his life as Hashirama, the love Hashirama had in his life was enough to heal the hatred in Naruto's. He would stop letting this life's trauma darkening his true self.

The first light of dawn washed over the shore, causing Naruto to look up at the beautiful scene with a smile on his face.

An epiphany struck him at that point. He did not have to answer the question of who he was, not yet!

He _was _still a child now. He would continue as the Shodai Hokage in mind and let the future shape him into a new person.

The sun broke out in earnest, casting everything in the fresh light of dawn. Naruto could feel the confusion, anger and resentment he had been hiding since the awakening draining away.

He could feel the unshakeable calm and assurance he had felt as the First returning. It was faith, in himself and his strength. Faith in his precious people.

He now appreciated his rebirth for what it was. A second chance. It was a second chance for him to protect what was precious to him, to lift Konoha back to its greatness. Back to the Village that held kindness and camaraderie, loyalty and faith above everything else.

That resolution left him with a feeling he had been missing for the entire duration of this life. Peace and contentment.

He felt more like himself than he ever did as Naruto or as Hashirama.

The golden age of Konoha would be back, and he would do his best to make that happen. This time he would guide Konoha to be stronger than ever before.

The legacy of the Senju clan would not fade away.

The wind blew once more, causing his shoulder length blonde hair to fly as he stood up, neither as Naruto the attention craving and damaged boy nor as Naruto who was desperately trying to choose between two lives.

No, he stood up as the reborn Shodai Hokage, who was tempered by the trauma of his second childhood. He was wiser for it, but not darker.

He could sense a familiar chakra approaching him. It was time for him to tell Kakashi the truth. Trust had to be freely given, and he had come to the conclusion that Kakashi was a ninja who had the Will of Fire burning brightly within him.

A shinobi worthy of his trust.

…..

Kakashi walked towards the place he had asked Naruto to meet him at. He had directed Sasuke and Sakura to do the tree climbing exercise, and left them to it.

He knew that Naruto had extremely perfect chakra control. One could not perform those earth jutsu with just a single seal without that much control, even if one had a very strong affinity.

Naruto was an enigma, and he would get his answers today. He would care for Naruto the way Minato had taken care of him.

Kakashi made his way beside Naruto who was calmly staring at the newly risen sun, and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Well, Naruto?"

Naruto turned to face him and Kakashi gave a gasp.

Naruto had changed even more.

His blazing forest green eyes had held compassion that should not be seen on any child. But now they held resolve as well, unearthly resolve. Those eyes at least were old.

His face though was quite cheerful. He seemed to have thrown a great weight off his soul. He almost looked like Minato-sensei.

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei. So you are here for answers, right? You want to know how I have changed so much…"

Kakashi snorted, amused. "Yeah, that is why I am here. I'll keep your secrets as long as they are of no harm to Konoha. Oh and don't bother to lie, I will be watching you closely with my Sharingan"

"Cool! Don't worry, Kakashi-sensei, I won't lie."

Kakashi nodded. "So…"

"Right…" Naruto sat down with crossed legs, a thoughtful look on his face.

He cast out his senses for intruders and found just two people sufficiently far from their position. Just as a precaution, he put up a very powerful silencing barrier.

"You do know of the botched sealing, I believe?"

Kakashi stared wide eyed. "You know of Kyuubi? How is that possible? Who told you?"

Naruto waved his hand unconcernedly.

"I met the fox and he told me everything about the sealing. Except for the fourth's mistake, neither he nor I know what happened then…"

"You met the Kyuubi? You must be careful, Naruto! That thing is pure evil!"

Naruto snorted. "No, not really. It is just a bored immortal fox with a great deal of power on its hands. Even I will die eventually and it will be free one day, so it can wait. A century means nothing to the bijuu, you know."

Kakashi just stared.

"Anyway, I know that Yondaime was my father, and Uzumaki Kushina is my mother…", Naruto looked at him meaningfully.

Kakashi sighed. "I did not expect this day to come so soon. Yes, my sensei the Yondaime was your father, and your mother is alive. She did not abandon you, by the way. She loved you too much for that. But you must ask the Sandaime for details, though, as I have no idea why she left."

Naruto was happy. His mother had not left him callously! He would definitely grill Hiruzen for answers, though.

"That is a relief to hear. I would have forgiven her anyway. Family is too precious to throw away so easily, is it not?"

Kakashi looked at him in wonder.

"You are no child, Naruto. Nor are you a mere Genin. Tell me, who are you?"

Naruto was laughing.

"You hit the nail right on its head, Kakashi-sensei! I will tell you, don't worry. Anyway, the mistake during the sealing had awakened something in me that is impossible for _any _soul to awaken. It is truly the Shinigami's gift to me…"

Kakashi looked serious. "What did you awaken…"

"It did not happen until a few months ago, when my old sensory abilities manifested stronger than ever….has to do with the absorption of my Uzumaki chakra I guess…" Naruto started mumbling theories.

His tangential thought process was cut off by Kakashi's sharp voice.

"What do you mean, your _old_ sensory abilities, Naruto? Just what did you awaken?"

Naruto looked Kakashi in the eyes.

"Watch closely, Kakashi-sensei. You will not believe what I say without me showing you…"

Naruto turned to the opposing shore which was just visible. Tazuna's half complete bridge lay far to their left.

He gazed at the bridge, calculating and visualizing. He turned back to the opposite shore and gathered his chakra.

Kakashi looked on as chakra exploded from Naruto once more, a massive amount. How could a boy of thirteen release so much chakra and not even blink? He waited for Naruto to do something.

He saw Naruto perform the serpent seal, and he could see chakra being molded in an unfamiliar way with his Sharingan. Was it an earth jutsu again?

"_Mokuton Hiijutsu: Mokuzai no okibona hashi" _

A great rumbling sound was heard and the waters of the sea were churning as if something was trying to come out.

What did come out caused Kakashi to nearly faint.

A massive bridge made entirely of wood rose from the sea, identical in every way to Tazuna's. It spanned from Nami to the mainland in a straight line, and it was monstrous in size. It was about half again as large as Tazuna's bridge.

Kakashi pinched himself hard, convinced he had lost it. No, the bridge had not disappeared. He flared his chakra to a high, and then…

"KAI" he yelled sending out a huge blast of chakra.

Naruto face palmed.

Convinced he was not under a Genjutsu; Kakashi stared at the wooden bridge reverently. Then he turned to Naruto with a look of absolute amazement on his face.

"How?" he asked, his voice shaking.

"You asked me twice what I had awakened, Kakashi-sensei. The answer is…I awakened memories of my previous life and became that person recently, with a few changes of course."

Kakashi had a look of dawning realization on his face, but still observed Naruto with his Sharingan blazing.

"I was and am Senju Hashirama, one of Konoha's founders and its Shodai Hokage"

Kakashi did faint this time.

…

Momoichi Zabuza had just woken up groggily and the first thing he saw was Gato's unpleasant face leering at him.

"Woken up have you, demon of the bloody mist?"

Haku appeared in front of Gato and released his killer intent, causing Gato to fall down to his knees. He let up a moment later.

"Leave. Scum like you don't even deserve to lick the feet of Zabuza-sama…"

Gato scowled as well. "Make sure you get the job done, or else…"

Zabuza turned to Gato slowly.

"The blond boy is very strong. He and Kakashi together cannot be defeated by just me and Haku. You will need to reinforce us with more shinobi…"

"And where am I to get more shinobi? It was hard enough to get hold of you two! Missing nin are tough to find!"

Zabuza said weakly, "I will send a message to one of my previous acquaintances. He is strong enough to get the job done providing you pay him well, Gato."

Haku just looked worried. "But…"

Gato ignored her, and looked directly at Zabuza. "And who is this ninja you have so much faith in?"

Zabuza closed his eyes, preparing once more to rest.

"Hoshigaki Kisame"

…..

Sasuke had just finished with the tree climbing exercise and was quietly eating his breakfast with Sakura. Eating alongside them were Tsunami, Tazuna's daughter and Inari her son.

The door opened to allow Kakashi and Naruto inside. Sasuke threw a glance in their direction and was startled. Something had evidently changed between sensei and student.

Where Kakashi used to look at Naruto with pride and appreciation, he now gave Naruto a look full of respect, _awe_ and …reverence?

This did not go unnoticed by Sakura either.

"What happened, Kakashi sensei?" Sakura asked.

Kakashi glanced at them and his expression changed to his usual bored face. "Things happened." He said listlessly.

Sasuke gave his trademark response "Hn."

Sakura looked at Naruto. "Why were you not there for training, Naruto?"

"The tree climbing exercise? I already know it, Sakura-chan!" Naruto said cheerfully.

Sakura was about to retort, but remembered Naruto's exploits at the bridge again. He would probably know the exercise at that.

Inari suddenly spoke up.

"Why do you all bother, anyway? Gato is going to kill you all! He is too strong for anybody!"

The shinobi all gave him a deadpan little shrimp looked unnerved by their silent glares.

"Why are you all looking at me like that? You have no idea how strong Gato is! You have no idea what we have suffered…"

Sasuke looked disgusted at that statement, Sakura looked irritated, and Kakashi just went back to his reading.

Naruto had sympathy on his face as he looked at the kid.

"We have all suffered, child. More than you can possibly imagine. Don't worry, Inari, you will soon see something that will restore your faith. All of you will" Naruto said, looking at all of the family of three with satisfaction.

"What do you mean?" Tazuna asked.

Naruto looked at Sasuke and Sakura as well. "Come with me to the bridge, will you? You will see something remarkable!"

Sasuke snorted, "What are you talking about?"

Naruto just looked overexcited now, "Come on!" and he appeared behind his teammates and started dragging them off, ignoring their vehement complaints.

Kakashi just eye smiled at Tazuna and his family.

"He is right. You will see something that will stay with you the rest of your lives…"

Tazuna shrugged and followed Naruto along with his family.

…

Inari just looked pissed, as did Sasuke as they walked behind Naruto and Kakashi towards the bridge which was coming into sight.

Naruto just laughed at their identical expression.

They reached the bridge entrance after a fifteen-minute walk.

"We are here, dobe. What is it you wanted us to see?" Sasuke asked with extreme irritation upon his face.

"Look to your right, Sasuke!" Naruto said mischievously.

They all did, and felt their jaws drop. Tazuna and his family stared at the completed and massive all-wood bridge as if it were their salvation.

Tears ran down their faces as they realized they were saved. They were saved! Inari started laughing through his tears as did Tsunami. Tazuna fell on his knees.

Sasuke and Sakura lifted up their hands in the ram seal and simultaneously yelled, "KAI!"

Kakashi bonked them on their heads. "Don't bother, I did that too. It's real"

Sakura looked at Naruto with just one question written all over her face.

"How?"

"I have Mokuton" Naruto said happily.

His teammates looked stunned.

"I don't believe you, it must be something else." Sasuke said pointedly.

Sakura just stared at him sceptically.

"What is Mokuton?" Tazuna asked curiously, getting over his astonishment over seeing the wooden bridge.

"It is the most revered bloodline in Konoha, possessed by the Shodai Hokage. The power he wielded with Mokuton is almost a fairy tale. It is said that he created Konoha's core area and the forests surrounding it with a single Jutsu.", Sakura recited from what seemed like rote memory.

The bridge builder and his family looked awed. Inari looked at Naruto with an expression dangerously resembling the one on Sasuke's fan girls.

"And you have it, Naruto-oniisan?"

"He says he does, but there is no way _he _can have it!" Sasuke said snidely.

"_Mokuton Hiijutsu: Shinboku no Josho" _Naruto intoned, looking smugly at Sasuke.

A beautiful cherry tree rose up from the earth behind them and stood about thirty feet high, spreading its branches over them all. Its bright pink blossoms showered down upon them softly, thanks to the force of its birth.

"Beautiful…" Sakura whispered in reverent awe.

"Dobe…" Sasuke seemed lost for words, as did Tazuna and family.

Kakashi pitied them all. If only they knew that it was the Shodai himself who was wielding the wood release in front of them….

"Sasuke, Naruto showed you and Sakura his Mokuton as a measure of his trust in you. Please do not say anything about it to anybody until I say it is fine, got it?"

Sasuke and Sakura just nodded dumbly.

"I need you to promise me."

"I promise" Sasuke said reluctantly, echoed by Sakura, Tazuna and the others.

Sasuke turned to Naruto. "So you created that wooden bridge all by yourself? I find that hard to believe, dobe, even if you have wood release! Only Hashirama-sama could create things on such a scale."

Naruto started. That was way too close to the truth, and he was content with only Kakashi knowing it for the time being.

"Believe me, it took the last of my chakra, Sasuke, and I had to take a soldier pill to replenish my lost stores. I was literally crawling after doing that…" Naruto lied unconvincingly. If he had one thing common in both lives, it was that he could not lie to save his life.

Fortunately, Sasuke swallowed up that lame excuse but Sakura looked sceptical still. But one look from Kakashi told her to drop the matter.

Kakashi stared hard at Sasuke.

"Naruto will use Mokuton only in the direst of situations so do not bother him about it. It is not something to be used frivolously, as it is the most sacred and coveted of Konoha's bloodlines. Clear?"

Sasuke nodded again. Naruto heaved a sigh of relief. He could now practice his ninjutsu without fear of discovery by Konoha's higher echelons.

Tazuna turned to Naruto and spoke, "Is wood not easily combustible? That bridge can be burnt down easily!"

Naruto replied nonchalantly, "Relax, Tazuna-san. That bridge is as durable as stone and about as combustible. So you need not worry about it!"

Tazuna was convinced. He bowed low to Naruto.

"You are a hero to Nami, Naruto-san."

"My capabilities must not be revealed, Tazuna-san. This is all I demand for my services. Can you deliver?"

"I swear, Naruto-san. Your secret is safe with me and my family!"

Naruto nodded.

….

**ONE DAY LATER**

Naruto opened his eyes, stopping his meditation. He was currently trying to bring back the purity and potency his chakra had back in his other life.

That would take him at least another three to four years, by which time he estimated that his old capacity too would return.

But what made Naruto shiver in excitement was that his growth would not stop there! Oh no, it would continue at the rate of an Uzumaki and a Senju, which he knew was astronomical.

He grinned excitedly. His chakra capacity this time would be much higher than his chakra capacity as Hashirama which was a truly frightening prospect.

In the age of the founding Kage, Hashirama was said to be the foremost Kage. He had enough strength to casually calm the rage of nine Bijuu simultaneously.

They called him the strongest shinobi to exist since the Rikodou Sennin.

That strength multiplied by two, even by three…

This time, he would have the strength to protect his precious ones and his village.

TAKE THAT, MADARA! The child in him proclaimed, which was pretty much all of him. He did used to be called frivolous and childish by the entire Senju clan.

His trip to his happy place was interrupted by a bonk on his head. Turning indignantly, he saw the emo face of his teammate, Uchiha Sasuke.

"Dobe…can I talk to you for a second?" Sasuke queried with a constipated look on his face.

Naruto looked closely at him. He seemed to be in discomfort.

"Bowel problems?" the medic in him asked with concern.

Sasuke looked ready to kill him.

A light bulb flashed in his head. OH…that's why he looks like that.

_Not easy to let go of your pride, eh, Sasuke?_

Sasuke seemed to have calmed down.

"Can you tell me how you move so fast in a battle? I know it is a ninjutsu. What is it called?"

Naruto looked at him in interest. A polite Sasuke?

"Teme… it is called the _shunshin no jutsu_. Yes, you can use it too. But to use it like I do with just one seal requires absolute mastery of chakra control, or to dedicate a lot of time to the _shunshin _itself. Why do you ask?"

"Can you teach me, Dobe? In exchange, I will teach you the grand fireball. What do you say?" Sasuke asked Naruto with that pained expression still on his face.

Naruto stared at Sasuke. The child was able to fight down his own pride, _Uchiha_ pride stoked by the village for _years_!

If he kept up this attitude, he would become strong indeed.

One sensing of Sasuke's emotions told Naruto that he was sincere, even if reluctant.

He had never bothered with Katon himself, as mastery over Doton and Suiton was enough for him. This was perfect! _This _was the way to engender long lasting camaraderie, _not _by some impromptu test.

He made a mistake with that test, really.

So, he decided. Teaching Sasuke and learning from him would be great training for the team.

He would rope Sakura in as well, and teach her how to use that excellent chakra control of hers.

"I agree, Sasuke. I will teach you _shunshin_ in exchange for your fire technique. Let's get Sakura; I have a few ideas for her as well."

The two of them trotted off, a tentative new bond forming between them.

Naruto was quite happy inside. Sasuke was the first friend he had made in this life! Even the experience and maturity of him being Hashirama reborn did not fill the void left by lack of friends. It intensified it actually.

Hashirama had thrived on friendship, love and loyalty. Resolve filled Naruto.

_I will make him a powerful shinobi._

….

**THREE DAYS LATER**

Naruto looked at Sasuke with satisfaction. The Uchiha could now perform a _shunshin _with the proper hand seal sequence. He was quite slow with it by his standards, but it would do.

Sakura had also progressed well with Genjutsu. Naruto was considering teaching her how to augment her strength with chakra, seeing she had good control. She even had good enough control to be a good medic.

But time was lacking before Gato attacked them, tried to destroy the bridge or both. Presumably he would go recruit much more powerful ninja.

So he always kept his senses extended so he could sense any threats.

Kakashi was being annoying as well. The Jounin had insisted on deferring to him whenever they were in private, calling him "Shodai-sama".

That had irritated him to no end and he had put his foot down firmly telling Kakashi that he was still Naruto, albeit one that remembered his previous life. That definitely did not change who he was at the core.

Kakashi had finally understood, but insisted that they were equals at least. The thought of treating the legendary Shodai as a subordinate made him really uncomfortable.

Naruto had conceded. But he had re-emphasized his point that he was the Shodai _reborn_ into this life, so he would try to redefine himself into something more.

As he looked at around at the training ground idly, an anomaly came to his attention.

It seemed that a massive chakra with a water affiliation was rapidly approaching the bridges. Presumably to destroy them.

Gato had made his move.

"Kakashi-sensei, I can sense a massive chakra with a really strong water affinity heading towards the bridges. What do you think we should do?"

Kakashi turned towards Naruto.

"How massive is the chakra, Naruto?" he still fumbled with the name."

"I can match him, but only just. I can outlast him with my chakra control, though."

Kakashi was alarmed. A ninja with as much chakra as the Shodai? Naruto must have sensed his discomfiture, for he replied.

"Do not worry, Kakashi-sensei. Currently I am at about a fifth of my old strength. The body of a child, even an Uzumaki child, can handle only so much chakra. I will grow back into my old strength and more in a few years."

Kakashi looked relieved.

"It is clearly a diversionary tactic, Naruto. They hope to separate us."

Naruto nodded. Kakashi continued:

"Gato would not hire multiple missing-nin of this much strength as it would threaten his own position. So we can assume safely that this person you sensed was the only new hire. Would you check, to be sure? "

Naruto cast out his senses at full strength and checked seven kilometres in all directions. Except for the one he had sensed, there was no one else notable.

"Just the one."

Kakashi started thinking aloud again.

"We can assume two things. One Gato's base is at least more than seven kilometres from here as you could not sense Zabuza"

Naruto agreed with him.

"And secondly, we can now be a hundred percent sure that Gato has hired only one missing-nin"

"How do you figure that?" Naruto asked curiously.

"Zabuza knows that you are a sensory-type, but he has no way of knowing your extraordinary range. The strongest sensor in the seven swordsmen had a range of three kilometres, so Zabuza would have assumed that much as well. So if you could sense no one at full strength, it means that there is indeed no one as the enemy will have underestimated your sensing range."

Naruto gave Kakashi a look of respect and nodded. A great Jounin indeed.

"I can tell you one last thing, though. The one rushing towards the bridge is probably one of Zabuza's acquaintances as Gato does not have his fingers deep in the Shinobi missing-nin world, yet." Kakashi looked towards his other two students.

"Go on", Naruto prodded.

Sakura and Sasuke had by now finished their training and were walking leisurely towards them.

"By your description of his massive chakra and strong water affinity, it is most likely Hoshigaki Kisame."

Naruto looked intrigued. "Can you tell me more about him?"

"I only know that he has so much chakra that he is dubbed the tailless tailed beast, and he possesses the great sword Samehada which consumes the chakra of its opponents. So it would be better if you go and deal with him, while I stay here and defend Tazuna-san."

Naruto understood. Kakashi had proved himself as worthy of his reputation once again.

"An excellent analysis, Kakashi-sensei. Now, I need to be going. Make Zabuza bite the dirt for me, will you?"

Kakashi chuckled and nodded. Naruto disappeared with a _shunshin_.

"Where is he going?" Sakura asked. Kakashi turned to them.

"Gato has made his move. Zabuza and his accomplice will most likely attack here, so get ready"

Sakura and Sasuke looked excited and nodded.

Kakashi directed them to begin evacuating Tazuna and family to a safe place so they could fight the enemy unhindered.

….

Naruto appeared on the bridge he had raised with a series of fast _shunshin_. A figure awaited him on the water a good distance from the bridge.

He appeared before the ninja with another _shunshin_. In both his lives, he had never come across an odd specimen like him. Naruto contained his impulse to just start laughing out.

He was blue skinned and looked like a shark taken human form. Oh, and he wore a black cloak with red clouds stitched upon it with a porcupine-like sword slung across his shoulder.

He again sensed the abundant chakra oozing from the man and saw that his earlier estimates were right. The chakra of the swordsman felt unrefined and unsubtle but was full of raw power.

"You look ridiculous", Naruto voiced his thoughts.

This man was obviously a Jutsu powerhouse. It would be a close fight. The man scowled.

"You are the brat Zabuza told me to be wary of? You don't look like much to me, just a short snotty Konoha Genin. Scram, brat! I have a bridge to destroy!"

Naruto was a little irritated at the jab to his height. He could not use _shunshin_ too much in this fight, as he would need all his chakra at his command at any instant.

He released his chakra in an explosion of silver, causing the water to spiral around him agitatedly.

His opponent grinned and released his chakra as well to much the same effect. The two steadily continued pumping more chakra into the air. The waves started getting higher and a wind blew hard in response to the agitation of the water.

The man unslung his huge sword and held it in one hand. Naruto narrowed his eyes. He was strong.

"I am Hoshigaki Kisame, wielder of Samehada. You are strong, brat. What is your name?"

Naruto smiled, settling into the opening stance of the nature fist.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto, Genin of Konoha."

He disappeared with a burst of speed and attacked Kisame with a kick which was blocked nonchalantly with Samehada.

This ninja was good. Naruto grinned, this would be a great fight.

Flaring his chakra even more he started fighting Kisame in earnest, the graceful power of the nature fist matched by the masterful Kenjutsu of Kisame.

Shockwaves emanated from wherever they met, causing water to fly everywhere in violent waves. Naruto was unleashing more and more strength in his blows and Kisame seemed to be blocking them all with some effort.

Naruto flared his chakra even more, his blazing green eyes settling on Kisame's fish like ones. Kisame had unwrapped the bindings on Samehada and held it towards Naruto.

They both disappeared once more, and met with a resounding impact, causing water to fly outwards in a huge circular wave. Kisame grinned as the unwrapped Samehada absorbed the monstrous impact of Naruto's strike.

Naruto sagged suddenly and looked at Samehada in realization.

"Samehada likes chakra, brat. Allow me to feed it with yours."

But Samehada suddenly started coughing as it started going limp.

Naruto wanted to laugh as he saw the sword acting sick. The stupid thing had taken in a healthy dose of his Nature chakra.

"Looks like Samehada has a bad case of indigestion, Kisame", Naruto said, laughing.

Kisame looked incensed, and flew back a good distance and started going through Hand seals rapidly.

"_Suiton: Bakusui Shoha_", Kisame yelled.

A humongous water wave rose from the sea and hurtled towards Naruto seeking to crush him.

Naruto too gathered chakra and held out his hands in the tiger seal.

"_Suiton: Suuijinheki"_ he responded.

A massive water wall rose up to absorb the impact of the wave rendering Kisame's jutsu useless.

Kisame stared at Naruto with a raised eyebrow as the water settled down.

"A Jutsu like that with a single seal? Not bad, brat! You have a very strong affinity to water, I see."

_But Tobirama's was always a bit stronger_ he thought nostalgically, watching Kisame clap his hand palms together and slam one hand on the water surface.

"_Suiton: Goshokuzame!"_

Five ferocious sharks shot towards Naruto from his palm. _A cool jutsu,_ thought Naruto absently as he felt a large spike in Kakashi's and Sasuke's anger. His heart skipped a beat: he could no longer sense Sakura's chakra.

He had to finish this fast. He held out the Dragon seal and yelled out his jutsu.

"_Suiton: Mizu no uzu o Kakudai!"_

A huge whirlpool whose diameter spanned a third of the entire length of his bridge started forming around Naruto rapidly, so powerful that it even exposed a bit of the ocean floor deep beneath him. Kisame's sharks were snuffed out of existence like little gnats and the whirlpool kept on expanding ominously towards Kisame who was retreating hastily and prepared to counter with his own Jutsu.

Naruto heard a tremendous explosion behind him, but paid little attention to it.

Naruto abruptly released his jutsu causing the water of the sea to roll around chaotically, generating powerful currents. He used the distraction to catch Kisame in his Genjutsu.

"_Kokuangyo no Jutsu_"

Kisame suddenly flailed around blindly, caught in a Genjutsu of absolute swirling darkness. He flared his chakra continuously in massive pulses, trying to break out in vain. Naruto held too firm, though, pouring most of his chakra into the Bringer of Darkness technique.

He appeared behind the essentially blind Kisame and struck with his forefinger at a vital point on his head with great precision, knocking him out instantly.

He suddenly felt unbearable pain in his back causing him to fall to one knee. He reached behind and pulled out the Kunai embedded in his back.

Blood flowed down his back, the wound was quite deep. His spine was nicked and only pain tolerance built over decades allowed him to think clearly.

He looked up and saw a young man wearing a black cloak stitched with red clouds in the process of slinging Kisame on his back.

He routed pure medical chakra towards his injury and healed himself almost instantly, and stood up. The young man had turned to leave.

As if a wound like that could keep him down.

_Sharingan._ The young man had a Sharingan.

No deeper sensing told him that he possessed the _Mangekyou_ as well and that it was used frequently.

"Uchiha Itachi" Naruto said calmly. This youngster was a real enigma. He could wait a bit to talk, as he could sense that his teammates had ended their fight.

A face closely resembling Sasuke's, check. Mangekyou Sharingan most likely obtained from clan slaughter, check.

The man turned around abruptly, his eyes widening at the sound of the boy who he thought was seriously injured.

"I thought I had neutralized you, Naruto-kun" Itachi said, his stoic face expertly hiding his emotions.

"You seem to be making a habit of killing unwary people, Uchiha Itachi." Naruto said, silver chakra exploding from him again.

"The Kyuubi healed you, I assume."

_Let him believe that._

"A reasonable assumption. You are a real prodigy to have escaped my Sensory perception so thoroughly. Good job!" Naruto said admiringly.

Itachi did not acknowledge that in any way. He studied Naruto carefully with his Sharingan.

"You are very strong to have defeated Kisame, Naruto-Kun. He was not really giving it his all, but I can see that you weren't either"

Naruto's expression became cheerful, his silver chakra receding.

"Yeah, that was a good fight. Tell Kisame that it was fun!"

Itachi did not respond except to raise his eyebrow and disappear.

He surveyed the damage wrought by his fight with Kisame. The trees along the coastline were all destroyed.

He could repair that, no problem.

He turned around completely and saw something that made his jaw drop and eyes bug out.

He had destroyed the bridge he had so dramatically created with his own jutsu. That whirlpool he used against Kisame had churned his bridge to pieces.

He would be the laughing stock of Team 7. He really felt like going somewhere private and banging his head repeatedly on a wall.

He should have made the wood of the Bridge a little more Chakra resistant, he thought sadly. But that would have aroused suspicions among shinobi that a Mokuton user walked the lands again.

It would completely destroy the rumours Kakashi had planted about his multiple shadow clones building a bridge in two days.

Deciding to forget this embarrassment, he shunshined quickly towards Tazuna's house. He had been relieved when he had faintly felt Sakura's life-force.

He could heal almost any injury, except death.

…

**A WEEK LATER**

A fully recuperated Team 7 waved one last time to the people of Nami, Tazuna and family at the forefront of the huge group, and began walking back to Konoha contentedly.

Tazuna's bridge was complete. Naruto had refused to rebuild his wood bridge, saying that the hope of Nami had to be created by its people alone.

Thus they had named the bridge after Team 7, all their names engraved upon its arch.

He had briefly told Kakashi how he had defeated Kisame and confronted Itachi, alarming the man greatly. Naruto wanted to make speculations and give details only when they were back in the presence of the Sandaime.

Some secrets were too sensitive.

The fight with Zabuza had gone well resulting in the death of both Zabuza and his accomplice, who he learned was called Haku.

_What a waste,_ Naruto thought. The last Hyoton user lost to the world.

Evidently Sasuke and Haku had formed a bond before the fight, without Sasuke knowing Haku's true identity.

When Sakura was put into a near death state by a masked Haku, Sasuke had awakened his Sharingan and engaged Haku.

He had managed to counter the Hyoton user's assault and break open his mask. Sasuke had refused to strike a final blow against one he counted a friend.

Haku had died to protect Zabuza from Kakashi's _Raikiri. _Gato had then assailed the entire group with his thugs.

So Sasuke and Zabuza, the latter moved deeply by Haku's sacrifice, had together finished off the entire thug army albeit with a little help from the villagers.

Zabuza too succumbed to his wounds and was buried alongside Haku.

The entire ordeal had changed Sasuke's attitude, igniting in him the Will of Fire and wiping out the last of his hatred. Naruto could see it only too clearly.

With Sasuke fighting alongside him, they would be able to do together what he could not do with Madara.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

**Thank you all, again. Your reviews and encouragement are what spur me to write this story.**

** I would like to address a few queries by reviewers.**

** Some of you are of the opinion that Hashirama does not seem like himself. Please remember, Naruto and Hashirama have become one and there are bound to be a few personality changes. **

** Naruto will of course gradually grow into Hashirama's personality, with his own quirks flavouring it. The instincts of a boy neglected and abused for all his life takes time to fade.**

**There was also this reviewer, Dragonbard I believe, who says Hashirama was not called the God of Shinobi. All I can say is please read Manga chapters 619 and 620, where he was called God of Shinobi by multiple characters.**

**Your constructive criticisms are also appreciated and will be taken in the right avoid flaming me though, that tends to demotivate me. **


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

"See you later!" Naruto waved to his teammates. They had just returned to Konoha from a very _educational_ mission in Wave country.

Kakashi and Naruto made their way towards the Hokage tower leisurely.

"Will you tell the Third everything?", Kakashi asked Naruto.

"I will. He could pick up signs of deception extremely well even as a boy, and I am not really good at deceiving my precious people. Truth is the strongest weapon, Kakashi-sensei. Lies can be twisted against you always as you may know from your own experience as a shinobi."

Kakashi nodded as they stood in front of the Sandaime's secretary.

"We are here to report the success of our mission to the Third." Kakashi stated lazily.

The secretary gave her customary dirty glance to Naruto and went to find out if the Third was free.

"Doesn't it bother you, the way you are treated in the village?" Kakashi asked Naruto regretfully. He had to have been there for the boy, but it was impossible. The village had needed every ninja on call to recover from the Kyuubi attack and Naruto would have been as good as neglected in Kakashi's home.

"Not really. As Naruto the child, I learned to disregard the glares of the people though it really caused me unutterable sadness. But now, I really feel sad for the Village I founded. They are just like sheep, unwilling and unable to think for themselves. That was not my intention for the shinobi of Konoha…"

The secretary came back. "The Sandaime will see you now"

Naruto followed Kakashi into the office of the Third Hokage.

The more Naruto saw this place, the more he felt the change Konoha had undergone. This office which had exuded a sense of loyalty and patriotism to the village during his reign, now gave off a sense of bureaucratic power mongering.

_Hiruzen._

His student had sacrificed much for the sake of the village, but one glance at him told Naruto that he was weary. The will of fire burned in him still, but the village had asked too much of this man; he had given up family, love, and much more for Konoha.

Hiruzen, at least, was everything he had hoped to see in the future generation.

"Report, Kakashi" The third ordered, looking at Naruto and Kakashi with a discerning eye.

"Hai, Sandaime-sama" nodded Kakashi, and began his report.

"On the road to Nami, we were attacked by the Demon brothers of Kiri who were dealt with easily by Sasuke and Sakura. Turns out that Tazuna was lying about the mission…"

Kakashi related the events of the mission up to when Zabuza attacked them on the bridge and Naruto drove him off.

Hiruzen looked surprised.

"How do you know those Jutsus, Naruto?"

Naruto took a deep breath.

"Old Man, this is private. Very confidential. I suggest you send off the four ANBU guarding you. It is only for your ears and will only take a moment."

Hiruzen signalled, sending off the ANBU. If he couldn't trust Naruto, he could trust no one.

Naruto went to the wall behind Hiruzen's desk and placed his hand on it, watched carefully by Hiruzen and an amused Kakashi. He flared his chakra and caused a glowing seal array to appear on the wall.

Hiruzen's eyes grew wide and he stared at Naruto with the full authority of a battle hardened warrior.

"How can you know the existence of those seals, Naruto? How can you use them?"

Naruto unleashed the full might of his chakra, causing cracks to appear on the wall and the plastering to peel off. Hiruzen's table was cracking up.

It felt as smothering, as if the air itself had thickened. Kakashi found it difficult to breathe as he stared with awe at the Shodai Hokage unleashing his chakra. And to think it was only a fraction of his strength…

Hiruzen had his hand upon his heart as he felt a chakra he thought he would never feel again in his life. It was impossible, he convinced himself.

It was impossible for Naruto to have nearly the exact same chakra as his beloved departed sensei. But the boy's actions spoke different.

He had activated _that _seal.

The seal array on the wall glowed a blinding white and the room lurched violently causing its three occupants to stick their feet to the ground with chakra to stay firm.

The light receded and Naruto turned to look at Hiruzen with an expression of compassion and pride on his face.

"It is safe to talk."

Hiruzen stared hard at Naruto, disbelief written clearly upon his face.

"How is this possible, you should not even know of that seal's existence. No one should, except the Hokage!"

Naruto smiled. "I will answer you, Sandaime. When the mistake happened with the sealing of the Kyuubi into my infant body-"

"How do you know of the Kyuubi?" Hiruzen asked, alarmed.

"I know about my parents too. As I said to Kakashi I spoke to the Kyuubi. Please, Sandaime, listen to the rest."

Hiruzen nodded, withholding his turbulent emotions at the sudden onslaught of information.

"Go on, I will withhold my questions for now"

"The mistake awakened a new aspect for me. I found myself remembering my previous life, old man. That should be impossible, but it happened. I think you can deduce the rest, can't you?" Naruto said looking at the wondrous realization blooming on the Hokage's face.

"_Hashirama-sama...?" _Hiruzen asked with a hushed voice, his eyes shining.

Naruto looked at Hiruzen with happiness and nodded.

"I am him, but I am Naruto as well. I think you can appreciate the merging of my two lives better than anyone, as you knew me intimately in both lives. I am proud of you, Hiruzen…"

Kakashi looked at the reunion between Sensei and student with his hairs standing on end. He was watching history unfold here in this room.

Two of Konoha's greatest figures, who should have met again only in the afterlife, stood facing each other in the most unlikely reunion of all.

Sarutobi Hiruzen was lost for words. He sat dumbly, staring with awe at the legendary First.

"That is how you could activate the seal. I guess I have no choice but to believe you, Hashirama-sama…or Naruto, what should I call you?"

"I am Naruto, Hiruzen. I should never have remembered my old life normally. It was a one in a million chance, and it happened to me. I am Naruto who remembers his old life as Hashirama. I am both Hashirama and Naruto in essence…"

Hiruzen stared at his mentor as he described himself. He could see both Naruto and the Shodai in the boy.

"This is most unexpected…"

"Forgive me, Sandaime-sama. What was that seal Naruto just activated?"

Sarutobi cleared his throat.

"It is a most advanced seal created by Mito-sama and Tobirama-sensei for Hashirama-sama's use. It was attuned to his chakra and his chakra alone. This is irrefutable proof of Naruto's claims…"

Kakashi looked at Naruto, seeing as the Sandaime was off on a mental tangent.

"Why is it safe to talk after the seal was activated?"

Naruto's eyes glazed over as he recalled the memories of past days.

"My wife Mito and my brother Tobirama made that seal for me to insulate the Hokage's office totally from the outside world. It is a space-time seal. The way Tobirama explained it to me; it transports those occupants of the room I choose into the space between moments…"

Kakashi looked confused. "What does that even mean?"

"Don't ask me, Tobirama and Mito-chan designed that thing. It was Tobirama who was always into things like space-time techniques, and my wife's mastery over seals was unheard of even during the age of founders."

Kakashi still looked quizzical.

"Fine, all I really understand is this: as long as I hold this seal active whatever happens between the chosen occupants of this office for that duration will happen in a single instant of the flow of time in the world outside, effectively sealing the required conversation completely from the outside world…"

Kakashi looked at the clock, which had frozen. But on close observation with Sharingan he could see that the second-hand was moving _very _slowly.

Kakashi eye-smiled. "Now I understand. To be able to do something like that…not even Sensei would have been able to do that."

Hiruzen who had come out of his funk shook his head in disagreement.

"Minato was just tapping into his potential and had invented the _Hiraishin no jutsu_ as a teenager. I think he would have surpassed Tobirama-sensei if he were to still live"

Naruto could feel the drain on his chakra as he held the seal active.

"Hiruzen let us get on with it please. I think I can hold the seal for another quarter hour maximum. I don't yet have the amount of chakra I possessed as Hashirama and this seal is very draining. Let me tell you of what happened in Wave from my perspective"

Naruto launched into a narrative of how he had drove off Zabuza the first time, and how he had defeated Kisame. He also told the Hokage of how he had confronted Sasuke's brother.

"You need to tell me what is up with that Itachi kid later, Hiruzen. He is really not the sort to kill needlessly from what I sensed of him. I can smell something wrong with the entire Uchiha affair…"

Hiruzen sighed sadly. "You are right. The Uchiha slaughter was not the work of a maniacal Shinobi. I will tell you of it later…"

Naruto nodded.

"We will need to speak of my mother as well, but we do not need the seal active for that anyway. It is my right to have that information."

Kakashi interjected smoothly. "I believe our time is running out. Let me complete my report…"

Kakashi finally finished relating his part of the mission.

"This is troubling indeed. I must ask Jiraiya of the connection between Itachi and Kisame and their similar clothing. It implies that they are part of an organization, and any organization that employs such powerful Ninja is to be treated with caution."

Naruto agreed completely.

"I have to release the seal soon, Hiruzen. Is there anything else that is to be confined to this room, anyone?"

Kakashi and Hiruzen shook their heads.

"One last thing, Hiruzen. Let me tell you that I am truly proud of you. But do not worry; I will get that hat back from you in no time."

Hiruzen looked ten years younger after the day's happenings.

"You deserve it more than I do, Hashirama-sama."

"You have become a great shinobi and Hokage, Hiruzen. You fought for Konoha all this time and sacrificed much for my legacy to continue. You have more experience in this world than me, and I will not disregard that. Don't get _any_ idea of just handing over that hat to me, though. I _will _earn it _rightfully_ as Naruto".

Hiruzen gave a true smile.

"I should have expected that. I understand, Naruto. You can release the seal."

Naruto deactivated the seal with a sigh of relief and the room lurched again, denoting them slipping back into the true flow of time.

To the ANBU outside it had just been two seconds.

Naruto now looked at Hiruzen seriously.

"Tell me of why my mother left Old man. I need to know. Please tell me."

Hiruzen looked sad.

"I will tell you, Naruto. It is a long story, and I need you to listen carefully. You do know of the reputation of the fourth, don't you?"

Naruto nodded impatiently.

"Alongside the fourth fought a Kunoichi almost as strong as him. It was your mother, Uzumaki Kushina also known as the Red Death of Konoha. Together the couple were so strong that they ended the third war almost by themselves."

Naruto knew all this, but listened proudly as Hiruzen described his parents. They were strong indeed…

"Your father's name was feared in Iwa beyond anything else. Namikaze Minato singlehandedly destroyed an army of Iwa shinobi by his Hiraishin no Jutsu, earning him the name of Yellow Flash of Konoha, as all that the enemies of Konoha saw was a glimpse his yellow hair before he killed them in the hundreds."

"Your mother however, inspired the same fear in Kumo. When Minato was engaged with the now Raikage of Kumo A who was then a Jounin, the army of Kumo which had assaulted Konoha was free to rampage through our thinly spread forces.

Kushina then arrived on the battlefield and annihilated the entire army. She too was extremely fast and a master of Kenjutsu. Kushina's long red hair flying as she flashed through the battlefield and she cut down her enemies earned her the name Red death"

Naruto listened closely as Hiruzen continued.

"The war was ended after some time, and none of the other Villages dared to aggravate Konoha again fearing our strength. Your mother was pregnant with you after marrying Minato in a ceremony known only to the council of Konoha and its high ranking shinobi. You know of the consequences of the Kyuubi affair better than I; Minato was dead, and Kushina was barely alive.

Her Uzumaki resilience was not for nothing though, and she made a full recovery in another two months during which time you were placed under the care of Uchiha Mikoto."

So Sasuke and he shared a very personal past. Sasuke felt even more like a brother to Naruto after hearing this.

The Sandaime continued.

"The moment she recovered fully, she took you back and began to raise you. But when you were about half a year old, Iwa got word of your existence as did Kumo. To this day we do not know how the leak happened…"

"Anyway, something terrible began to happen in consequence. There were nearly daily assassination attempts made on you, sometimes causing you terrible wounds. But you always healed yourself. It was the fox's chakra…"

_Thanks for that, Kurama._ Naruto thought gratefully.

"**Think nothing of it, Hashirama. You are the best vessel I ever had, you know. Even as an infant your chakra calmed me and made me think of my days as a young kit…"**

Naruto smiled, motioning for Hiruzen to continue.

"Your mother always thwarted those attempts. We tried to impose sanctions upon Kumo and Iwa but they always denied their actions. Konoha was weary of war and they had lost their beloved Yondaime so morale was at a low. We were still recovering from the Kyuubi attack…."

Hiruzen looked really sad at this point.

"However one day when you were about a year and a half, an assassin stabbed you right through your gut. The assassin was killed of course, but it left your mother absolutely distraught. She had lost her husband whom she loved, and she had seen her darling son nearly die. She then reached a conclusion." 

Naruto looked at the old man, his emotions churning. He could hardly remember these events.

"It was her and Minato's reputation that brought down such hatred against you. You would never be safe as long as you were associated with her. She had too many enemies…

So she came to me with a plan. Though it broke her heart completely, she had to let you fade into anonymity and outside her life. Namikaze Naruto would be killed in an assassination staged by Konoha itself and Uzumaki Naruto would be quietly enrolled in an orphanage. The plan went perfectly…"

Naruto was now unsure of what to think. So he asked questions.

"What happened to my mother then?"

The third sighed.

"She accepted a series of S-class missions outside Konoha to draw attention to her and away from you. I was to call her back only when I felt that you were strong enough to defend yourself. I think she lost a piece of her soul back then…"

Naruto looked down sadly. He understood what had happened and hated the necessity for it…hated the circumstances.

"Now that I know you are strong enough, I will call her back. Do not judge her too harshly Naruto. She sacrificed even your love for her to keep you safe, and that is a great sacrifice indeed."

Naruto sighed. He did understand and deeply respected and admired Kushina's actions.

But the suffering he had endured without her still lingered in the depths of his mind. He could not help but slightly resent her.

But as the reborn Shodai, he could view the situation objectively. Kushina had indeed chosen the option that was most feasible, and the choice had to be made fast anyway. He could empathize as he had made many such choices in the First war…

He needed to sort his feelings out a little more.

"When will she be back?" Naruto asked Hiruzen.

"Within a fortnight. You will be reunited with her in a fortnight. Please treat her at least civilly Naruto, she has suffered deeply. Being reunited with her son will heal at least a part of her…"

Naruto nodded.

"You have given me much to think about, old man. I need to go" so saying Naruto walked out with a thoughtful face.

Kakashi looked at Sandaime.

"He will be far greater than even the Shodai Hokage, won't he Hiruzen-sama?"

Hiruzen smiled brightly.

"He will indeed."

….

**THREE DAYS LATER**

Naruto walked leisurely with Sakura and Sasuke. They had just been told by Kakashi that they were nominated for the Chuunin exams and could make the choice whether or not to compete.

All of them had decided to say yes. They were to come to the academy tomorrow where the first test would be administered.

He had thought hard on the issue of his mother and decided that she was a great Kunoichi and mother. Anyway, he felt no real need for a parental figure now, so what resentment he would feel at her was lessened.

He would wait to meet her and then see.

He felt a tug on his consciousness.

"_What, Kurama?_"

"**Hashirama, I definitely feel the presence of at least one bijuu. There might be another as well. I think it has to do with how well they are sealed. The one I sensed for sure is the Ichibi no Shukaku. Be careful…"**

Naruto flared his senses and could clearly feel the presence of Shukaku's Jinchuuriki just around the corner. The chakra of the container felt too chaotic to him, so he could conclude only one thing.

The container was losing his sanity. He assumed it was due to a weak sealing method. He suddenly felt a spike of the container's bloodlust….

They would damage nothing in Konoha on his watch.

"_Thanks for the advice, Kurama_."

He turned to his teammates "I sense trouble in the next street. Foreign ninja. Do you want to come with me? We might meet some of the competition early…"

They nodded.

The three of them walked purposefully towards the source of the commotion and saw what looked like a clown bullying a kid.

A kid that Naruto recognized as Hiruzen's grandson, Konohamaru. He walked towards the clown and called out to him.

"What do you want?" said the clown in what was meant to be an intimidating tone.

"Let the kid go, my friend. That is the Sandaime Hokage's grandson you are so busily bullying. It is not considered polite for visiting Ninja to assault the relatives of the village's Kage, is it?" Naruto said calmly.

The blonde girl turned to the clown, "Kankurou, let the kid go. Imagine what would happen if Gaara finds us fooling around…"

The clown called Kankurou gave an involuntary shiver. His face then hardened, "Alright, Temari.I will let the kid go if he begs for my forgiveness…"

Naruto looked at the boy exasperatedly.

Sasuke stepped up and performed a fast series of hand seals. "_Shunshin no jutsu!" _

He disappeared, and only appeared on the other side some distance from the group, holding Konohamaru who he set back on the ground.

Kankurou's and Temari's eyes bugged out. _The kid was fast…_

Naruto could sense the Jinchuuriki of Shukaku within their proximity. Obviously he was trying to hide, supressing his chakra as much as possible. That would not work on sensory type ninja…

"Come out, _Ichibi no Jinchuuriki_." Naruto said, looking directly at Gaara's hiding spot.

Temari and Kankurou turned pale. The blonde knew Gaara's secret! This put the entire plan at jeopardy. They had to inform Baki-sensei of this development as soon as possible.

Naruto could sense the anxiety and tension of the two in front of him. It was not normal. Either these two feared the mistreatment of their teammate, or it was something else.

A redheaded kid with bags under his eyes appeared in front of Naruto. He studied the blonde for a bit and turned to his teammates.

"You have disgraced Sunagakure by your actions, Kankurou. Now come both of you, we are leaving."

"But Gaara-"Kankurou opened his mouth and stopped when killing intent flooded the entire street.

"Shut up or I'll kill you!"

Kankurou shut his mouth after that.

"What is your name?" asked Sasuke.

"Who, me?" Temari said bashfully. The dark-haired boy was very attractive, as was the blonde.

But there was something about the blonde that transcended them all, something different. Even Gaara felt that.

"No, the one with the gourd" Sasuke clarified.

"I am Sabaku no Gaara. I am interested in learning your names as well…" he looked at Sasuke and Naruto.

"Uchiha Sasuke."

"Uzumaki Naruto."

"I look forward to fighting you. Mother thirsts for your blood, Uchiha. And yours as well Uzumaki. She _craves_ yours" said Gaara ominously before leaving with his teammates.

Sakura went to Konohamaru to confirm if he was alright to which the boy nodded. The honoured grandson then started ranting about Sasuke's and Naruto's awesomeness. It was obvious to Naruto that the kid was starting to idolize team 7.

"**Shukaku made his Jinchuuriki think he was his _mother?_ What _happened _to that raccoon? He was always a little on the loose side, but this is too much even for him…" **Kurama sniggered.

Naruto though was a strange mix of emotions. He wanted to help his fellow Jinchuuriki but could not do that as Shukaku would immediately recognize him as Hashirama. He could hardly let his secret out so easily.

The poor kid would have to control the bijuu himself, which meant he had to realize love and conquer hatred. That would be tough for him from what he saw…

It would be nigh impossible with the Shukaku passing himself off as the Kid's _mother_, of all things. He started laughing out loud at that joined by Kurama in his mind, causing Sasuke and Sakura to look at him strangely.

"What's wrong with you, dobe?"

"Nothing Sasuke! Um…I need to go and train…see you tomorrow at the academy for the first round!"

Still laughing quietly to themselves, bijuu and Jinchuuriki made their way back home.

…..

Naruto sat happily on a seat in his beloved Ramen shop, Ichiraku Ramen bar. He was currently in the process of scarfing down his eleventh bowl of the precious dish.

Ayame turned to him and asked. "You really have to stop eating so much, Naruto. It's not good for you, you know. I bet that if I stab you right now with my fork, you will bleed Ramen soup!"

Naruto did not reply and began to stuff his mouth with his twelfth bowl of the dish. He had definitely not lost his love for Ramen after his awakening.

Oh no, it had definitely increased.

"Do you really have to stuff yourself like that?" came a female voice to his right.

Glancing, he saw two blonde females eating ramen sedately. Both had strong chakras, one with Raiton and the other with both Raiton and Katon. They both seemed to be mildly irritated.

The chakra of the one who had spoken to him felt familiar in a strange sort of way. He sensed deeper.

**"MATATABI!" **came the hugely surprised voice of Kurama.

Naruto started. What was it with all these Jinchuuriki popping up in Konoha at the same time? He looked at the Niibi Jinchuuriki.

"Who are you?"

"I am Nii Yugito, and this is Samui. We are Kunoichi from Kumogakure here for the Chuunin exams along with our other team member, Omoi."

"I am Uzumaki Naruto" Naruto introduced himself.

Samui just waved at him. Naruto waved back at her enthusiastically and focused on Yugito.

"You are _special_, aren't you Yugito-san?"

Yugito narrowed her eyes at him. "You too are _special_, Naruto-san."

"A sensory type, are you?" Naruto asked her, surprised.

"So are you. Let us walk together. Samui, I am out" Yugito said her teammate.

Naruto and Yugito walked out of the Ramen shop, Naruto waving goodbye to Ayame.

"Nice to meet you, Niibi Jinchuuriki." Naruto greeted her, looking at her properly. She was quite pretty, not that he was attracted to her. Her chakra felt extremely strong, filled with pure power that was beyond most humans.

A Jinchuuriki in control of her bijuu.

"Nice to meet you as well, Kyuubi Jinchuuriki." Yugito chuckled.

"How could you sense the Kyuubi? Its chakra is suppressed by mine at all times…" Naruto queried.

"It is suppressed quite well, Naruto-san. But I am not Kumo's strongest sensor for nothing. I assume you met Ichibi?"

"Of course. Careful of him, he is slightly crazy and will slaughter anything in his path, living or otherwise. I didn't sense any other Jinchuuriki in this exam, did you?"

"No I believe it is just the three of us. See you later, Naruto-san. We have a team meeting about now, let's meet in the exams. See you!"

Naruto waved back, watching her thoughtfully. He had no doubt Sarutobi knew of these developments. Three Jinchuuriki competing in a Chuunin exam?

He had to be on his guard and watch out for Konoha's sake.

….

**THE NEXT DAY**

Naruto stared exasperatedly as Sasuke accepted a challenge to fight from a weird green spandex wearing Genin called Rock Lee.

They had successfully detected a Genjutsu on the entrance to the exam antechamber and Sasuke had in his usual style attacked the door guards.

But their fight was interrupted by Rock Lee who caught them with his superior speed. Naruto sensed little chakra in the kid, so he concluded that his speed was pure Taijutsu.

The work that must have taken…The kid had his utmost respect for his hard work. He was a genius of hard work indeed.

Though Sasuke had lost much of his drive for vengeance in wave, he still kept most of his pride as an Uchiha. Elite.

So he was currently headed behind Rock Lee to fight him in a more open space. Naruto had a feeling that Sasuke would get a rude awakening.

They stood opposite each other in the hall, Naruto and Sakura watching interestedly.

Lee extended his palm, bending his fingers.

"I will prove to you that hard work is superior to genius, Uchiha Sasuke. I am the strongest Genin in Konoha" he said, and proceeded to do just that.

He absolutely pummelled Sasuke, kicking him all over the place. Sasuke could see the kicks but could not keep up with his body.

Lee suddenly unwrapped his hand's bandage, yelling.

"I will show you the meaning of effort with this move, Sasuke-kun!", and leapt into the air.

"LEE!" came the voice of a…tortoise? And an older clone of Lee.

"YOU WERE TOLD NOT TO USE THAT MOVE!"

Lee who was back on the ground stared with a devastated expression, crying anime tears.

"I am sorry, Gai-sensei! I only wanted to prove myself. I accept any punishment you give me!"

"This is your punishment, my student!" yelled Gai-sensei and appeared before Lee and gave him a devastating punch.

Lee then walked back from his crater, and stood opposite Gai.

"I am sorry, Gai-sensei!" Lee exclaimed.

"It is alright, my precious student, you were only trying to show the flames of your youth! I can understand youth better than anyone…"

And to the horror of Team 7, Lee and Gai flew into each other's arms causing a sunset to appear with waves washing up to them.

"KAI" yelled team 7 in unison, but it was in vain. The sunset did not break until the weird duo had disengaged from their hug.

Gai just appeared before them again with stunning speed. "You are the Youthful students of Kakashi, aren't you?"

"How do you know Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura questioned Gai warily.

"He is my youthful and eternal rival! Currently the score stands in my favour! Well, youthful students of Kakashi it is time for the first round. Good luck!" so saying Gai disappeared.

Lee left as well but had a word of advice for Sasuke.

"I am not really the strongest Genin in Konoha, Sasuke-kun. That would be my team mate Hyuuga Neji. Be wary of him"

Sasuke snorted derisively. However strong this Neji was, he was sure that no Genin in Konoha even held a candle to Naruto.

"We need to go, Sasuke…" came Naruto's voice.

Sasuke just nodded and followed him into the waiting chamber.

The first thing he could sense was a multitude of rather weak chakras. He looked around carefully and evaluated the potential threats.

Gaara as usual felt strong, as did Yugito whom he acknowledged with a wave of his hand. Yugito smiled back.

There was another team from a new village he heard was called sound that had entered a team.

They too felt moderately strong, their emotions felt dark as well.

But one person truly caught his attention. An unassuming Genin wearing a Konoha headband was quietly rearranging a deck of cards.

This person was actively suppressing his chakra, but he could not escape from Naruto's acute Sensory capabilities.

This Genin felt of deception and he had at least Jounin level chakra. Naruto leisurely walked towards him…

"Hey there, who are you and what are those cards about?"

The Genin smiled at him, but it felt all wrong to Naruto.

"I am Yakushi Kabuto, and I am a Genin of Konoha. I have taken these exams seven times and have gathered information on the competition in these nin-info cards. Would you like any information on your opposition, Uzumaki Naruto?"

Naruto smiled pleasantly and shook his head. But Sasuke queried:

"I would like information on Gaara of the sand, Yugito Nii, Rock Lee and Hyuuga Neji."

"You even know their names? That will make this easy…. Gaara…yes, 10 B-ranks and 30 C-ranks, not even a scratch on him and has strong ninjutsu…"

Everybody's eyes widened.

"Nii Yugito… great Taijutsu, powerful Ninjutsu, a Kunoichi to watch out for. Her mission stats are unknown…"

Naruto looked at Yugito curiously. The Niibi Jinchuuriki winked at him.

"Finally we have Hyuuga Neji and Rock Lee both on team Gai. 33 D-rank and 5 C-rank missions completed.

Rock lee is a powerful Taijutsu specialist, Ninjutsu unknown. Hyuuga Neji is a known prodigy of the Jyuuken style and a strong competitor"

Naruto just glanced at them all. They were all quite powerful for Genin. He could feel Killer intent coming from the team from sound.

"Play time is over, now it is time for the first round of the Chuunin exams, brats! Follow me." came the gruff voice of a burly scar faced examiner who gave off an air of extreme intimidation.

They nervously followed scar face into a spacious hall full of desks.

"I am Morino Ibiki. First round will be a written round. You need to answer at least one question to pass and there will be nine questions. At the end of the examination, there will also be a tenth question the rules for which will be defined on the spot."

The Genin just stared at him, surprised at the strange rules.

"There will be observers for this test, and if you are caught more than five times you will be disqualified. Clear?"

They all nodded.

"Then let us get started."

….

Naruto stared at their newest proctor, a Kunoichi named Mitarashi Anko who was passing around waivers of death for the Genin to sign.

They were to enter the Forest of Death with a scroll and survive there for three days. Their objective was to get a scroll, heaven or earth, to complete their set.

With both scrolls, they were to head for the tower to complete the test.

_Great, I get to see what has happened to my forest._

The first exam was quite innovative, really. Ibiki had put together a good information gathering test, as the questions were all well above Genin level. He had cleverly planted a few Chuunin test-takers from whom the Genin were expected to gather information.

The ways of gathering information too really surprised him. He of course could answer all the questions. They were too simple to him.

Sasuke had predictably used Sharingan, the Hyuuga their Byakugan and Sakura of course actually knew the answers to the questions.

Gaara though had used an innovative trick; he made an eye out of sand to spy on the others. That left him impressed. The Jinchuuriki was good!

Ibiki had ended their party though, asking if they were confident enough to take the tenth question. Those who answered the question wrong would never be Chuunin, he said.

Those who left right then would have a shot next year.

To Naruto it was obvious that it was a test of confidence, so he stayed right where he was. Most of the competitors had stayed too.

Ibiki then ended the test abruptly, saying they had all passed. Apparently, the question he had asked just then was the mysterious tenth question and the remaining had all proved that they were worthy of continuing with their conviction in remaining.

Putting off thoughts of the first exam, he glanced at Mitarashi Anko. This Kunoichi's chakra felt essentially the same as Kabuto's.

That was intriguing…What was the connection between those two?

His attention was occupied suddenly by a Kusa Kunoichi who handed Anko back her dagger. Her chakra felt full of malice!

What was more, her chakra felt a bit like his own. Just _what_ was such a shinobi doing in the _Chuunin_ exams?

She easily had Kage level chakra. No, that was no normal Genin and she seemed to be shooting unhealthy glances at Sasuke.

They would need to be careful with that Kunoichi. She was a real danger, unlike these other children.

"Be careful of that Kusa Kunoichi, Sasuke! She seems really strong…."

Sasuke turned to him and nodded discreetly. Sakura just looked intimidated.

"Alright, brats! It is time for you to begin! Enter the forest through your designated gates…NOW!" Anko yelled.

They shot through their designated gates, entering the forest in rapid blurs. Naruto signalled them to stop after about half an hour of travelling.

"We are deep enough into the forest, and we really need a plan. What do you say we do?"

Sakura spoke, "I say we follow the river. We have a heaven scroll, and we may encounter some team eventually as they too would naturally gravitate towards the river. We can take the scroll from them easily by ambush as we have a sensor on our team…"

"An excellent plan." Sasuke said, nodding to Sakura causing her to blush.

Thus they had moved steadily, finding and following the river on its course.

Naruto was impressed; his forest had grown quite a bit! The trees seemed to recognize him, and a warm comforting feeling filled the air as he walked by them.

….

It had been a day since the beginning of the second exam and Naruto was getting alarmed. He could sense not even a single team on their path, and that was fishy.

Naruto turned to his teammates. "I find it odd that we have not been attacked at all, and I can sense no one in our vicinity. I don't like this…"

Sasuke nodded.

"I too can feel it. Something feels wrong about how easy all this is becoming…"

Sakura looked worried.

Naruto decided to just pause and consider their next move. They were just about out of rations, but still had plenty of water. He decided.

"We need more rations. You know I can get fruits enough for the journey…"

Sasuke nodded. "But we need to agree on something only the three of us know, in case we are impersonated by someone."

Naruto just had the perfect thing. "We say the name of my most secret technique, what do you say?"

Sakura agreed. "That should work."

"Alright then, time for me to go…" said Naruto and vanished.

…..

Naruto reached a clearing not the far away from his teammates and threw around his senses for any eavesdroppers or spies.

Nothing.

"_Mokuton: Ringo no ki no taito"_

A good sized apple tree with luscious apples rose up from the earth causing Naruto to grin. A well placed punch later, Naruto was happily collecting dozens of apples that fell on the ground.

This would do for the remaining duration of their stay. His Mokuton was truly powerful, be it to heal or to destroy.

His senses suddenly perked up. Heading towards him was a good sized chakra that felt distinctly….slimy.

It did not feel even remotely human. So it had to be a summons.

Naruto put aside his sack and awaited the hostile summons that was about to attack him. Sure enough, he heard something crashing through the trees in front of him.

He waited patiently.

With a thunderous crash, the summons broke through the trees in front of him and lunged. Naruto avoided easily enough with a well-timed _shunshin no jutsu_.

He examined the huge snake in front of him. There were only two recorded snake summoners: one was Mitarashi Anko, the crazy proctor, and the second….

Oh no.

The snake sannin Orochimaru was here. The only reason he would bother to send a snake against him was to separate him from Sasuke and Sakura.

Damn, he knew there was something about that Kusa ninja…

Sure enough, he felt Sasuke's absolute fear and Sakura's numbness. He must be attacking them even now! He had to get there and stop the sannin as soon as possible but first…

"_Doton: Yomi Nuuma!"_

A deep swamp formed beneath the snake and swallowed it up easily.

He dimly heard Sasuke scream. His anger skyrocketed, and he began radiating his chakra as he ran to Sasuke's aid with a series of _shunshin._

What he saw disgusted him. Sakura was paralyzed with fear and Orochimaru was retracting his elongated neck from Sasuke's where he had bitten him.

Naruto calmed himself and appeared behind Sasuke. Placing the first two fingers of his right hand, he felt for Sasuke's chakra.

It was corrupted. He could see a seal forming on Sasuke's neck and it was faintly red in colour.

He was no seal master even if he was adequately proficient in the sealing arts. Sasuke's ailment required attention and care neither of which he had now.

A makeshift solution had to do for now.

"Kukukuku. thus enters a new player! I thought I had you with that snake I had sent, Naruto-kun!" Orochimaru said, amused.

Naruto paid no attention to the slimy Sannin as he stabilized Sasuke with medical chakra. Orochimaru just watched interestedly, making no move to stop him.

Sasuke was breathing a much easier. Now to take care of that troublesome seal.

Naruto gathered up his chakra to his fingertips, forming five Kanji characters for sealing.

Orochimaru's eyes widened. No! That would waste all his effort! He gathered his chakra and appeared before Naruto intending to stop him.

But before he could do anything, the sealing was done.

"**Fuuinjutsu: Fuja Hoin!"**

Orochimaru's seal was surrounded by an outpouring of other characters. That would contain the snake's corruption for the time being.

Orochimaru kicked out too late at Naruto, but Naruto stopped his leg nonchalantly with one hand.

He faced the enraged sannin and tossed him so hard into the tree beside him that it shook.

"Hello, Orochimaru."


	5. Chapter 5

**Thank you for all the reviews, my beloved readers. I appreciate it more than you know.**

**Enjoy my story!**

CHAPTER 5

"Hello, Orochimaru." Naruto greeted the Sannin flatly.

Orochimaru shook himself out of his daze, seeming stunned at being cast aside so easily by a Genin. He looked at Naruto with rage contorting his face.

He walked slowly towards Naruto, trying to assess him.

"You are no Genin, Uzumaki Naruto. To know the Fuja Hoin, to defeat my summons so easily and not to mention…stopping my kick so casually…you have much power. Why not join me?"

Naruto's forest green eyes met Orochimaru's snake like ones.

"Thank you for the offer, Orochimaru. But no, I am content here. You however attacked my comrade and nearly killed him…so…"

Naruto appeared in front of Orochimaru and kicked him with tremendous force sending the Sannin hurtling back into the forest for about a mile, crashing through the trees and foliage.

Sakura stared at Naruto disbelievingly, finally out of her mental paralysis. Defeating Zabuza easily was nothing, but matching a _Sannin_ just as easily…

Naruto started to leak Mokuton chakra, a faint silver shroud around his body. He turned to Sakura.

"Sakura, take Sasuke and get up on to the highest tree here. This fight will be harmful to you if you stay at ground level. Sasuke will wake up any moment now…."

Sakura couldn't move. This was getting too much for her.

"I can sense Orochimaru returning, Sakura. Move NOW!"

Shaken out of her daze, Sakura went on to follow Naruto's instructions and took Sasuke to the highest tree in the vicinity. It was far enough from Naruto that she would be safe from collateral damage, but still near enough to keep him in view.

Naruto waited patiently for Orochimaru to show himself.

"So strong." Orochimaru said, appearing in front of Naruto. The Kusa Kunoichi's face was peeling to reveal his true one. He ripped it off entirely and stood before Naruto as the snake Sannin.

"Tell me Naruto-kun, how is it you have the Shodai Hokage's chakra? Its potency puts even my chakra to shame…"

Naruto looked at Orochimaru in amusement.

"It was too much to hope that my kick put you down, wasn't it? You were Hiruzen's prized student after all…"

Naruto pondered, sampling Orochimaru's chakra deeply.

"You defiled the grave of the Shodai, didn't you Orochimaru, you filthy traitor? You took his cells unto yourself thinking to match his strength…"

Pieces of the forest floor were rising around Orochimaru in the wake of his anger. The snake Sannin hid his rage well, but Naruto could taste it in the chakra he emanated.

"You forgot something, Orochimaru. The First's true strength was the Will of Fire, his power was only a tool and not who he was…you wouldn't understand would you, you slimy traitor?"

Naruto was letting his cynical side show now, seeing that his words were getting to Orochimaru. A loathsome scowl marred Orochimaru's face.

"I will obliterate you, Uzumaki Naruto! You have thwarted me for the last time!"

Naruto smirked, seeing the sheer strength of Orochimaru. Hiruzen at least taught the shinobi arts well to his students.

"Come" invited Naruto, beckoning Orochimaru.

…..

Sakura stared as Naruto goaded Orochimaru. She was so absorbed in the fight unfolding beneath her refuge that she failed to notice Sasuke stirring.

Was Naruto so confident in his own strength? Irritating Orochimaru was a sure way to achieve a painful death. He was described as a man with immense power and a huge arsenal of Jutsu, who challenged the Yondaime for the post of Hokage.

A veteran of the third war and trained personally by the Sandaime, Orochimaru was feared by all but the Kage and the other S-class shinobi.

_That _was the man Naruto was challenging so casually. Yet looking at his almost excited face, Sakura believed that he could hold his own.

That thought sent shivers up her spine.

"Ohh…", came Sasuke's groan. He sat up groggily staring blankly at Sakura.

Orochimaru! He stood up immediately, looking around for the Sannin.

"Sasuke-kun!" exclaimed Sakura, glad that he was awake.

"Where's Naruto?" questioned Sasuke urgently. However strong Naruto was, he would never be able to stand up to Orochimaru.

Sakura got an awed look on her face and pointed at a spot below them.

Sasuke walked to the edge of the massive branch. What he saw would redefine his conception of Naruto forever.

The boy he had so callously written of "dobe" stood opposite Orochimaru calmly, silver chakra leaking off him faintly, on the verge of combat.

The ground around the two of them was cracking up under the pressure of the chakra being released, and that awed him.

He was no sensor, and he could still feel the enormity of their power as high up as he was. If he got close, he imagined he would faint from the overload.

He felt no jealousy towards Naruto. Instead he just felt awe, pride and overpowering concern for the safety of his teammate.

Together he and Sakura watched closely as Naruto and Orochimaru finished gathering their chakras.

…..

"Come."

Orochimaru shot towards Naruto with blinding speed, going directly at his vital points.

Naruto blocked calmly, and countered with his own strike which was also blocked. The two opponents glanced at each other and acted simultaneously, beginning their battle in earnest.

The lethal snake Taijutsu of Orochimaru was matched strike for strike by the Nature fist of the Shodai Hokage. Everywhere they met, gusts of wind blew off and the ground exploded.

Naruto was drawing strength from the abundant Nature chakra pervading the forest and kept on increasing the power of his strikes. His blows were getting heavier and heavier.

Orochimaru could hardly believe he was fighting a Genin; the strength of his blows was unbelievable!

Naruto was enjoying himself thoroughly; the Sannin was truly a snake through and through. He spoke like one, acted like one and was certainly was as lethal as one.

Naruto dodged one of Orochimaru's kicks and it impacted the tree behind him, barrelling through its trunk and cutting into half.

Naruto grinned. Orochimaru was very strong, strong enough that he would challenge him considerably at his current chakra capacity.

Of course if the Sannin had fought Senju Hashirama at full strength, he would be crushed in an instant.

He appeared in front of Orochimaru and aimed a kick saturated with his chakra at his head. Orochimaru blocked it, but was blown back through another mile of trees at the sheer strength of the blow.

The Sannin looked livid when he confronted Naruto again, looking worse for the wear.

"_Sen'ei'jashu!"_

Massive snakes shot out from Orochimaru's hands and flew directly at Naruto's throat.

Naruto held out his hands in the serpent seal.

"_Doton: Chikyu no Ogama!"_

Two massive scythes of earth rose on either side of the approaching serpents and fell, skewering them into halves.

Orochimaru was already going through a sequence of handseals. Naruto could feel a massive amount of Fuuton chakra gathering…

"_Fuuton: Daitoppa!"_

A massive blast of air ripped towards Naruto, destroying trees and ground alike.

"_Doton: Shinju Zanshu no Jutsu!"_

Naruto went underground and appeared behind Orochimaru with a shower of earth. The sannin reacted instantly, forming seals rapidly.

Naruto did not need a sequence of Hand seals, though. He needed just one.

"_Doton: Haritsuke no supaiku!"_

An extremely sharp spike of earth blasted from the earth near Naruto's feet and sunk into Orochimaru's chest. Its impact was so great that Orochimaru was sent flying back and the sharp end of the spike sticking out of his back crashed into a tree, effectively nailing the Sannin.

Orochimaru opened his mouth, spitting himself out, shedding his skin like the snake he was.

He looked at Naruto with a lopsided grin.

"It's been fun, Naruto-kun, but I cannot play any longer. You are too strong to be left alive…"

Naruto faced Orochimaru impassively, feeling the massive spike in the Sannin's chakra. It was of no element, but it felt somewhat…ethereal. Yes, that was the best word.

"_Mandara no Jin!"_

Orochimaru's mouth opened disgustingly wide and out came a multitude of snakes. Thousands upon thousands of the white reptiles rushed rapidly towards Naruto, piling up to thirty feet and spanning a great width.

Naruto was staring, amazed at the magnificence of the Jutsu. He had never seen its like, even as Hashirama.

Out of the mouth of every one of the tens of thousands of snakes rushing towards him came out a sword he recognized well.

The sword of _Kusanagi,_ dripping with poison. This was a very powerful technique, and he could not counter it with _Doton_ or _Suiton_. The thousands of _Kusanagi _would just rip through.

He could not reveal Mokuton yet though he could easily stop the snakes with that, _Kusanagi _or not.

Which left…?

The air around Naruto turned blinding silver for half a mile in all directions, chakra pouring out of every one of his _tenketsu _in a torrent.

He raised his palms routing all his chakra into them. Orochimaru looked stunned by the magnitude of the chakra Naruto was releasing.

The multitude of snakes was almost upon him, the heap growing all the time.

Naruto breathed deeply and slammed his glowing palms into the ground.

A massive semi-circular shockwave erupted from Naruto's position, blowing each and every one of the snakes to pieces.

The forest was destroyed as utterly as Orochimaru's ten thousand shockwave reached the Sannin and hurled him far away for the third time.

Naruto looked around at the devastation he had caused sadly, never liking to see the destruction of trees. Let alone those created by himself.

He immersed himself in his senses and sighed in relief as he felt Orochimaru fleeing rapidly towards the east boundary of the forest.

That battle had pushed him a little.

He sensed Sasuke and Sakura tremulously approaching him from behind.

"You can come out now, Sakura and Sasuke."

The duo slowly walked towards him, not believing the sheer destruction unleashed during the battle. They had never seen a fight like that before and never understood the meaning of a Kage-level fight as they did now.

"You are so powerful, Naruto… You actually drove _Orochimaru_ back…" Sakura said in absolute wonderment.

"Good fight, dobe" Sasuke said, unable to think up any more praise for his rival. _How stupid_, he thought to himself. Naruto was too far ahead of him to be considered his rival.

"Gahahah!" Naruto laughed happily. "Thanks Teme…Did _you_ actually complement _me_?"

"Hn…I think I did. Don't get too used to it though." Sasuke said, smirking. Naruto was his rival, alright. No matter how powerful he got.

Sakura just smiled at her teammates.

"I have one last thing to do…" Naruto said, sensing all around them for around five miles.

No one.

He assumed all teams were driven away by the scale of his and Orochimaru's fight. All teams had something resembling a sensor on their team, after all. They would have certainly given wide berth to a Kage-level fight.

That suited him just fine.

He looked at the devastation caused by his final attack and the absence of trees, and gathered his chakra.

"_Mokuton Hiijutsu: Mori no taito!"_

The massive semi-circular area of the forest that was divested of trees for at least a mile rumbled.

Small saplings rose up everywhere in the huge barren area slowly ….and with a great rush shot up to become massive trees that repopulated the empty area.

Sasuke and Sakura looked open-mouthed at their teammate who had just created about a square mile of forest. Naruto just kept stunning them regularly.

Naruto looked at them amusedly.

"We need to leave the area now. I can sense multiple chakras approaching us and Sasuke still needs my healing."

They nodded and shot off as one.

….

Yugito, Samui and Omoi had just finished off a team of Kiri, and were collecting their Earth scroll.

The Niibi Jinchuuriki felt an explosion of extremely dense chakra a good distance to their west. It felt familiar. There was also another very strong chakra that felt just evil.

Naruto and someone who was no Genin were engaged in combat.

The ground shook violently for a few moments and then stopped.

What was her fellow Jinchuuriki doing? To feel the tremors of his jutsu this far…that should be a very powerful technique.

Omoi and Samui were prodding her quizzically.

"Yugito, could you sense whoever caused that tremor?"

"Yes. That was the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki, Naruto. The chakra did not feel like any element, though…"

"So he used the Kyuubi's chakra?"

"No…it was his own."

"Not cool…Not many people have the capacity or control to do such a thing with just pure chakra."

Omoi in the meantime was into his own apocalyptic thoughts and was being ignored by the blondes.

"**Kitten, that boy is no Genin. Be wary of him…very wary. He seems to exude a chakra that can calm or even suppress me if need be."**

Yugito gave a mental nod to her bijuu. Suddenly she felt a release of unfamiliar chakra from Naruto.

It felt like…life?

What chakra could actually create _life?_

She was suddenly pulled into her mindscape by the Niibi.

She stood in a lush grass plain, confronting the Hellcat.

"What?"

"**Yugito, Naruto either has the ****_Mokuton_****…or the ****_Rinnegan._****"**

"WHAT?"

**"There is no other explanation. That is how he suppressed Kurama so well, and seems to have the power to suppress me. Only two known techniques can create life…One is the ****_Mokuton_**** and the other is a ****_Rinnegan_**** technique called ****_Banbutsu Sozo_****, the Creation of all things. Both possibilities are extremely disturbing…"**

Yugito was extremely stunned. Naruto most probably had one of two mythical bloodlines?

The _Rinnegan _was the Rikodou Sennin's _Doujutsu_. The power he wielded with those eyes was said to be unfathomable… beyond human comprehension.

The _Mokuton_ was documented a little more. Senju Hashirama's strength with that bloodline was so great that he was compared to the Rikodou Sennin sometimes. Taming Nine Bijuu like it was nothing…?

Both possibilities were extremely frightening for the elemental countries. A second coming of either of the two legendary figures would tip the scales…no, completely destroy the scales.

A-sama had to be informed immediately.

She turned to Omoi and Samui.

"We need to get to the tower at the earliest. No wasting time. I have something extremely important to convey to Raikage-sama."

Her teammates seemed to recognize her seriousness and nodded.

Gathering their chakra, they shot off rapidly towards the tower.

….

Naruto had just finished patching up Sasuke. The trio had taken shelter in a clearing some distance from the previous fight.

Sasuke could not believe that Naruto was so skilled a Medic. How many talents did the blonde have? He felt so much better, now.

Naruto sighed in satisfaction as he sensed Sasuke's chakra flowing calmly with no fluctuation. His teammate was as good as new.

"What is that seal you used on Sasuke-kun, Naruto?"

Naruto pondered for a moment.

"It is called an Evil suppression seal. It is an advanced seal that can contain malicious influences…that is, until the user's will holds. So Sasuke-Teme, you must never give in to the instincts that may be spawned in you by Orochimaru's seal, understand?"

Sasuke nodded briefly.

Sakura glanced at Naruto. "We still have need for an earth scroll, don't we? We cannot complete the Exam without the earth scroll…"

Naruto grinned.

"We don't have to worry about that, Sakura-chan. It seems we have company" he said, sensing the approach of the Sound ninja.

The foliage parted to reveal three figures sporting the Oto headband.

The bandaged ninja of the team came to stand in front of Naruto.

"We are here for Uchiha Sasuke. Leave him to us and your lives will be spared. We will even give you our earth scroll."

Naruto looked amused, as did Sasuke.

"Sorry, no deal. Leave us your earth scroll, and maybe we will spare you" said Naruto.

The one next to the bandaged Nin yelled, "DOSU! Let us just kill these brats and get it over with! Die, Sasuke! _ZANKUUHA!"_

A funnel of air rippled from his arm and shot towards Sasuke, who disappeared.

Naruto stared, intrigued. It seemed Sasuke's skill with the _shunshin _had improved drastically. The teme certainly knew how to use that Sharingan of his.

The trigger-happy Sound shinobi now laid face first in the dirt, Sasuke standing over him.

Dosu shook his head. "Zaku, you should have waited. Kin, take the pink haired girl. I will take the blonde. Zaku, do not underestimate the Uchiha!"

Naruto was getting tired of these games. He just wanted to get the earth scroll and discuss the Orochimaru issue with Sarutobi. He needed to knock these children out fast.

"Sasuke, Sakura stand back. Sasuke, you are still not rested fully. Sakura you would take too much time to defeat that girl. Leave it to me…"

Not waiting for their responses, he just appeared in front of Zaku and knocked him out with a strong palm to the chest, sending him flying.

Before the girl could react, she was incapacitated by a chop to her neck's vital point.

Dosu pointed his arm towards Naruto for some kind of technique but was just too slow. Naruto buried Dosu to his neck with a simple Head hunter technique and rendered him unconscious with a simple finger strike.

Sasuke and Sakura no longer looked stunned, having expected something like this from the blonde.

_Huh, no need for powerful Jutsu when simple techniques can do the job easily_.

Naruto went to the one called Dosu and searched him for an earth scroll. They were in luck.

Grabbing the scroll of Earth, Team 7 headed straight towards the Tower.

…..

**THE TOWER IN THE FOREST OF THE DEAD**

Naruto knocked on the Hokage's room absently.

They had reached the Tower with no problems, unless one took into account the Genjutsu used to misdirect the participants. Sasuke had seen through that one easily with his Sharingan.

They had then opened both their scrolls, causing Iruka to appear and congratulate them on their victory. Naruto had then sent through Iruka a missive to Hiruzen regarding his fight with Orochimaru.

He was asked to attend a meeting of the Jounin immediately. Sasuke and Sakura went to rest before the next round occurred.

Thus he entered the Hokage's office, noting the multiple Jounin present.

"Come in, Naruto. And stop trying to peep at Kurenai's…posterior, Jiraiya."

Naruto turned to see a tall and well-built white haired man straighten quickly from his stealthy position behind the beautiful Kurenai.

"Sorry, sorry…." He giggled perversely, his eyes round from what had obviously been an excellent peek.

Naruto stared at the man with interest. His godfather by all accounts. He had no idea that the _Gama-Sennin_ was a pervert on this scale.

The toad sage had taught Minato, his father. That practically made him family.

"We have gathered to listen to Naruto's disturbing account of his encounter in the Chuunin Exam second round…Tell us, Naruto!"

Naruto nodded, surveying all the Jounin present. Anko, Asuma, Kurenai, his sensei Kakashi, Genma, Aoba, Hayate….and some others he did not know.

They were all either Elite Jounin or undercover ANBU. All of them with strong chakra and exceptional records. He could proceed with his briefing without fear of a leak, as he felt no questionable emotions from the powerful Ninja in the room.

"We were following the river in the forest so we could encounter some team and grab their scroll. We encountered no one and I got suspicious. Anyway, I went to gather food when I sensed that Sasuke and Sakura were in distress. I rushed back and saw a snakelike man finish biting Sasuke…"

Jiraiya scowled. "It was Orochimaru, wasn't it?"

"Yes."

The room erupted.

The Jounin were all clamouring at the fact that mere Genin had to face an S-class criminal. Only Kakashi and the third looked cool.

_Naruto would never lose to somebody like Orochimaru._

Jiraiya looked at all their reactions interestedly, noting the calm of Kakashi and the Third. Those two knew something…

"QUIET!" the Sandaime roared, causing the Jounin to calm down, though they all looked agitated still.

"Thank you. Now Naruto, proceed with your story."

Naruto nodded. "I healed Sasuke, and saw the seal on his neck. What is it with that seal, by the way?"

Anko stepped forward. "Is Uchiha Sasuke dead? It is very rare that someone who receives that seal survives."

Naruto looked amused.

"No he isn't, crazy snake lady. I was getting to that. You have that seal as well, don't you? I can feel its evil in your neck…"

Anko nodded in a subdued manner. The third cleared his throat, causing attention to centre on Naruto again.

"As I was saying, I saw Sasuke writhing in pain from that seal and I suppressed it with my own seal…"

The Third hardly looked surprised. The Jounin were still whispering at the revelation of Naruto's prowess, while Jiraiya looked interested.

"Which seal did you use, Gaki?" he asked. Figures. It made sense that the son of the Red Death and his beloved pupil, Minato, would be this strong.

He already felt proud of the young boy he thought of as a grandson, even though he did not let it show.

"The evil-suppression seal. It is only a makeshift solution, though, and will only last as long as Sasuke's will to fight does. Anyway, Orochimaru was incensed by my actions and we fought. After a good Taijutsu battle, we fought with ninjutsu. I literally nailed him with an Earth spike, after which he got angry…"

Everyone wore disbelieving faces. A Genin keeping up with Orochimaru…?

"He spat out about ten thousands of white snakes at me. Oh, and he had the _Kusanagi no Tsurugi_. Each and every snake had _Kusanagi_ jutting out of its mouth, aimed at me-"

Jiraiya interrupted. "That was Orochimaru's _Mandara no Jin_, when he used it on me there were about a million of those things. What did you do?"

Naruto looked annoyed by all these interruptions.

"I was getting to that, _Ero-Sennin_!"

Jiraiya looked indignant. "Do not bastardize my sacred name, Gaki!"

Asuma looked a little irritated. "If you don't mind, Jiraiya-sama…"

Jiraiya looked sheepish. "Right, Right…."

"Thank you. Now, with those snakes piling up on me I had no choice but to blow them to pieces. I assume you all felt the tremor…"

The Jounin all nodded, wide-eyed.

"How?" asked Jiraiya, intrigued and hiding his amazement well. His former teammate must be losing his touch…

"I have enormous chakra, and my control is good. I can release a concentrated explosion of my chakra if necessary, causing great damage…"

"Just like Tsunade…"muttered an amazed Jiraiya.

Naruto himself was proud of his granddaughter. Apparently, the mischievous little girl had taken after him at least a bit.

"Then Orochimaru left. I think he was surprised, more than anything. He came to test us more than anything, I think, and did not expect me to be so strong…we need to be cautious. Why was Orochimaru here, of all places?" he directed the question to Jiraiya.

Jiraiya looked at Hiruzen, who nodded. He faced the Jounin and said in his resonant voice.

"He is after Uchiha Sasuke's Sharingan. He had this mad delusion of learning all of the Jutsu in the world, and thinks Sharingan will accelerate his plans…"

The third sighed. He never understood Orochimaru, even as a little boy. He was too alien.

The Sandaime cleared his throat again.

"Orochimaru has something bigger going on. Jiraiya has brought me word of my errant former student's frequent visits to Suna.

That and the fact that Suna has sent their clearly unstable Jinchuuriki to Konoha lead me to believe that Konoha might not be safe in the next few months…"

The Sandaime looked at Naruto.

"We have determined that Kabuto Yakushi is a spy for Orochimaru, his right hand even. He is quite strong. To keep track of him, we will need you to track and spy on him, Naruto…"

"But the Exams…"

"Your actions in the Forest of Death lead me to believe that you are already Chuunin material. I hope all of you agree?" Hiruzen asked, looking around at the Jounin.

They nodded as one. Any Genin who stopped Orochimaru and brought his teammates back alive was a worthy Chuunin, no doubt about that.

"Then it is decided. Naruto, henceforth you are a Chuunin and will undertake your mission immediately. The rest of you, watch out for your Genin. And Naruto, you will have to forfeit in the coming round as you are already a Chuunin…"

They all nodded.

"Naruto and Jiraiya, please stay. The rest of you can continue…"

….

Naruto looked at Hiruzen.

"That was a good thing you did, Hiruzen. I would hate to be matched up against the children. It would be fairer to put them against _ero-sennin_ here…"

Jiraiya looked intrigued and irritated.

"Are you saying _you_ are stronger than me? You may have fought the Hebi-teme to a stalemate, Gaki, but I am not called the strongest Sannin for nothing…"

The third looked at Jiraiya. "Naruto here is extremely strong for a reason, Jiraiya. He will not tell you without the proper precaution…"

"And I will not tell you right now, _ero-sennin_. You must wait for Kushina-san to return and I will tell the two of you together."

Jiraiya nodded reluctantly.

"You have the right to your secrets after being independent for so long, Naruto. I won't press you when I have no right…"

Naruto nodded gratefully.

"Thank you. And I hold no resentment for you _ero-sennin_, the old man told me of the circumstances. I look forward to knowing you…"

Jiraiya looked emotional.

"Me too, Naruto, Me too."

The Sandaime looked at them both. "Let us discuss the espionage of Kabuto, you two."

They nodded and began.

**THE PRELIMINARIES**

"…are there any who wish to forfeit the exams by leaving at this stage."

Kabuto came forward.

"I, Yakushi Kabuto wish to quit these exams, as I have little chakra at the moment and am liable to make a mistake."

"Granted. You may leave, Kabuto."

Kabuto nodded, and walked out of the arena leisurely.

"Is there anyone else?"

"I…Uzumaki Naruto, wish to quit. Personal reasons"

The Sandaime nodded with a hint of a grin.

"You may leave, Naruto."

Sasuke looked pissed, as did Sakura. They still did not like Naruto quitting. He had not told them why, except that the Hokage had requested it.

Waving to his outraged teammates and stunned fellow rookies, Naruto began his mission of investigating Kabuto.

…..

"Greetings, Orochimaru-sama."

Orochimaru appeared out of thin air in front of Kabuto

"Hello, Kabuto. Your information seems inaccurate…" with leashed anger.

"What do you mean, Orochimaru-sama?"

"Your useless cards…they told me Uzumaki Naruto was nothing but a dead last. Imagine my surprise when said dead last nullified my cursed seal, matched my Taijutsu, wounded me…and above all, destroyed _Mandara no Jin_!"

Kabuto was open-mouthed with surprise. And sweating as Orochimaru's massive killing intent filled the air.

"I.., I had no idea, Orochimaru-sama. You can't have been serious while fighting a Genin…"

Orochimaru's killing intent receded, the snake sannin calming down considerably.

"True indeed. But I could tell that he was holding back too, and I don't know by how much. I don't like the direction the invasion is going…we may need more reinforcements and I will change our plans."

Kabuto nodded. "How is the Edo-Tensei coming along, Orochimaru-sama?"

Orochimaru looked slightly frustrated.

"The same…Hashirama cannot be resurrected, I have no idea why. But I have a backup, Kabuto. Sensei won't know what hit him.

Don't fail me again, Kabuto. I don't like unknowns…"

Kabuto nodded.

"Go now…I have a grave to rob."

…

Naruto opened his eyes, having heard everything through his concealed wood clone.

So, Orochimaru was indeed planning an invasion of Konoha and planned to assassinate Hiruzen.

What really surprised him was the Sannin's audacity. Orochimaru actually used Tobirama's jutsu to resurrect Hashirama, in other words, himself? The idiot…he had no idea of the ramifications of that technique.

Of course Edo Tensei would not work; the aspect of his soul as Hashirama had left the pure world.

He could resurrect Tobirama, though. This could not be allowed, the dead were meant to be left in peace. He would hate to see Tobirama as a puppet of some upstart.

This needed further consideration. Anyway, he had to go see what had happened in the preliminaries and then report to Hiruzen. It was Jiraiya's turn to watch Kabuto anyway…

….

**TEN DAYS LATER**

Naruto watched as Sasuke was being trained by Kakashi to up his speed. The young Uchiha had certainly taken well to the art of using _shunshin_ and had gained the second tomoe of his Sharingan during the fight with Orochimaru.

Sasuke's proficiency with _shunshin_ was growing at unprecedented levels, and he was using it quite creatively.

He had apparently made quite the impression back at the preliminaries, moving so fast that his opponent could hardly see him, let alone touch him. Sasuke had apparently defeated him with speed and Genjutsu alone not laying a single hand on his opponent.

Sasuke was being called the second coming of the other great prodigy of the Uchiha, _Shunshin no Shisui._

The disadvantage with _shunshin_ was that one could not unleash ninjutsu instantaneously after using it, as the regathering of chakra took time. He himself had only eliminated that problem partly.

Sakura had tied with Ino, leading to both of them getting eliminated. Shikamaru had beaten his opponent, as had Shino.

Chouji was eliminated along with Kiba. Intriguingly, the sound ninja he had beaten in the forest were nowhere to be seen…

Jiraiya came to stand alongside him. "Hey, Gaki, how are you doing?"

"I finished my training just now, ero-sennin. I am watching Sasuke do his. Is your shift already over..?

Jiraiya nodded.

"Yeah. It is Hayate's turn to watch him now. "

Naruto nodded. "Any particular reason you are here..?"

"Yes, Naruto. Sensei told me to tell you…Kushina arrived one day ahead of schedule for some reason. She should in sensei's office by now…"

Naruto's heart skipped a beat. His mother was here, _now_? His face must have showed his agitation, for Jiraiya consoled him.

"She _is_ your mother after all, Gaki. Just be yourself. Sensei has summoned me, Kakashi, you and Kushina for a meeting. Let me go get Kakashi and we will all go together."

Naruto nodded mutely, unable to calm himself. Even all his years as Hashirama did not prepare him for something like this.

He watched as Jiraiya spoke to Kakashi. Sasuke had left for his home.

His father's teacher and student approached him and laid a hand on his shoulder each.

"You will be fine, Naruto" said Kakashi compassionately. They set off towards a meeting that was long overdue.

Mother and son would be reunited at last.

….

Kabuto had sensed the Jounin who was tailing him for some time. How long had Konoha kept tabs on him?

He had to eliminate this threat to the plan immediately. He set off towards an alley, in the direction of the Suna-Jounin, Baki.

The man tailing him was obviously not very good at it. He was clumsy and gave away too many openings.

Kill him, or just feed him false information?

Kabuto weighed both choices in his mind, and decided. It had to be done for the plan to succeed.

Readying his chakra scalpels discreetly, he set off again.

Konoha would be ashes come the finals.

…

**THE HOKAGE'S OFFICE**

Naruto stood in front of the Hokage's office, Jiraiya and Kakashi standing tall beside him. He knocked with trepidation.

The door opened slowly, and Naruto entered.

Standing next to Hiruzen was a fairly tall woman with long red hair that reached down to her waist. She wore the traditional ANBU uniform, with two Katana strapped to her back in an X.

He drank in the sight of his mother, who had returned to him after all these years like a parched man drank water.

A sensing of her chakra set off a feeling of pride in him. She was very strong, with a powerful fire affinity and a stunning affinity to water.

The emotions he felt from her were strong, so strong that it amplified his own, bringing unbidden tears to his eyes.

Regret deeper than the deepest ocean, guilt raging like fire, and above all pride in him.

A lone tear rolled down his cheek.

Dimly, he noticed Kakashi, Jiraiya and Hiruzen smile brightly at the sight before vanishing to presumably give them privacy.

Kushina too seemed stunned with the Naruto she was now seeing. The last report she had gotten from her ANBU contacts had shown her son to be a little shrimp who was basically a loser.

Not this…young man, too tall for a thirteen year old Genin. With his shoulder length blonde hair and well-toned body, he could well be Minato in his youth.

She stopped examining him and stared at his face. The face of the son she had essentially abandoned for his safety.

The first thing that struck her was his eyes. Her son had innocent blue eyes that were sad and hopeful at the same time. Not forest green eyes that gave off the wisdom of a lifetime, and shone with power unrestrained.

The eyes were the windows to the soul.

And the boy she was seeing through his eyes was no Genin, Chuunin, Jounin or even a Kage. He seemed to be more. Much more. An incarnation of mercy and hope, forgiveness and compassion.

She could stand the silence no longer.

"Naruto…?"

Naruto nodded tremulously. All his certainty as Hashirama left him standing as a little boy who ached for his mother.

He saw her approach him as if it were a dream. She slowly came to him and caressed his face with trembling hands.

"I am sorry, Naruto. So sorry for all the pain you must have felt without me to love you. I only left for your safety…"

Kushina was now openly crying, her face showing her extreme anguish and self-loathing.

Naruto too was shedding tears at this long awaited moment finally arriving.

"It is alright…Kaa-san."

Kushina flung herself at Naruto, hugging him tightly. The two remaining Namikaze were together again, the loss of their separation and love and hope at their reunion flowing through their veins like cleansing fire.

Naruto smiled to himself softly, hugging Kushina tightly to himself.

It would be alright.

…

Naruto had, with some assistance from Kakashi and Hiruzen told his mother of his life after she left him.

How he was thrown out of the orphanage and had fended for himself at the age of six in the cold streets and beaten almost to death regularly.

How he was given an apartment for himself and lived there alone, loveless and scorned by all.

His academy years.

Now, it was time for the final secret: his true identity. He looked at Jiraiya and Kushina, assessing them.

Kushina was not raging, as Naruto had expected her to be. She had an expression of uttermost self-loathing upon her face as she visualized the sufferings her child had gone through.

The village should burn in hell for its ignorance. No mother should ever have to leave her child to suffer like this.

Minato…he had faith in Konoha. Like the trusting idealist he was, he had turned her little bundle of joy into a Jinchuuriki knowing full well the hatred it brought.

She still loved him, though. How could she hate him when she, still alive, had left her son to suffer? That would make her a hypocrite.

Naruto looked at her almost as if he had read her mind.

"Do not hate the village for my suffering, Kaa-san. It was born of ignorance and I pity them for it…"

Jiraiya looked at him in amazement, Kakashi and Hiruzen in pride.

Kushina was incredulous "How can you not hate them, Sochi?"

Naruto turned to Hiruzen. "Hiruzen, it is time…"

Kushina looked quizzically at Kakashi.

Naruto walked to Mito's seal again, and activated it again. Jiraiya and Kushina looked on stunned.

"What was that seal?" Kushina asked her son, awed by the chakra he had emanated.

Naruto explained the seal to her and Jiraiya, causing them to sit in wonder of Mito's prowess. Kakashi and Hiruzen just looked on in anticipation.

"Kaa-san, ero-sennin, it is time for me to reveal my secret to you. You are both seal masters and can understand better than most…"

Kushina and Jiraiya listened attentively.

"The sealing of the Kyuubi changed me, Kaa-san. It awoke in me something that should be impossible…"

Here he lifted up his black shirt, showing the room the changed dead demon seal on his stomach.

Kushina and Jiraiya looked at the seal with curiosity. The two had a look of slight comprehension upon their faces.

"It awoke in you a new personality did it not, Sochi? I can deduce that much from the change in the seal.."

Naruto nodded appreciatively.

"It caused me to remember my previous life in this world and become both my old self and current one at the same time."

Kushina looked distressed. As parents, they had not done right by their son. He had to undergo too many things that should not be experienced by any child.

"Do not be distressed Kaa-san. It is my old life that led me to become what I am now, to find peace."

Kushina and Jiraiya looked at Naruto with anxiety. This could very well be harmful and was extremely unexpected.

Naruto clasped his hands in the ram seal, flaring his chakra.

"Is that…_Nature chakra_?" Jiraiya asked in amazement.

"Only in major part" replied Naruto. His chakra always had a high concentration of Nature chakra mixed in it. They had called it Mokuton chakra.

Kushina was amazed and at her son's chakra. He was unleashing enormous amounts and didn't even breathe hard.

She watched as he molded chakra.

"_Mokuton: Budo no Hirogari!"_

Impossibly, vines started spreading and flowers bloomed upon them covering the space of the entire office.

Hiruzen looked stunned at seeing his sensei use Mokuton again. Kakashi looked awed. He would never get over Hashirama-sama using Mokuton in front of him.

Naruto looked at Kushina and Jiraiya, who looked at the spectacle in amazement. He felt a sense of déjà vu, having done this to Kakashi before.

"I was and am Senju Hashirama, the Shodai Hokage of Konohagakure."


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you for your reviews. Appreciative reviewers, thank you so much. You make my day, and drive me to write better!**

**Critics,your suggestions will be considered in the right spirit. **

**Thank you. Thank you for involving yourself in my story so much. **

**Enjoy this chapter. I definitely enjoyed writing it!**

**Regards,**

**Karldin.**

CHAPTER 6

Jiraiya just stood there, frozen. Kushina was staring at her son, her mouth opening and closing with no words coming out.

Jiraiya was the first to react.

"Of all the lives you had to live before this one, it had to be him…This is GREAT!" he said enthusiastically with a thumbs up sign.

Naruto grinned at the man's response. Jiraiya reminded him of how he used to be as Hashirama. How he still was, to a large extent.

He and his godfather would reconcile just fine.

"Because of my study of seals I know you are still my son, Naruto. The unexpected keeps happening to the Namikaze family. Having the reborn _Hashirama_ as a son… Minato would be so proud. I am too. So proud...", Kushina said wonderingly still unable to believe.

She shook her head, still trying to accept Naruto and Hashirama being one. Her little boy was the rebirth of the most revered ninja since the Sage of the Six paths.

Naruto sent a sly glance towards Kakashi.

"You reacted better than Kakashi-sensei, Kaa-san and ero-sennin. He only…_fainted_."

Kakashi managed to look indignant even with his mask on. Jiraiya and Kushina were snorting with laughter, imagining Sharingan no Kakashi fainting like an academy fan girl.

"I'll get you for this, Naruto…" threatened Kakashi.

Kushina then looked at Hiruzen and Kakashi.

"I hate asking this…but all this seems too surreal to me, Hokage-sama. Do you believe Naruto?"

Hiruzen nodded without hesitation.

"He is Hashirama-sama reborn, without a doubt. That seal there was attuned more to soul than to chakra, and _only_ Hashirama-sama could use it. There is no doubt."

Kushina nodded, trying to comprehend the implications and her own chaotic feelings. It was not every parent who learned that their son had such a truly beautiful soul.

"Also, to convince me, He raised a massive wooden bridge from Nami to the mainland with just a single hand seal. Only Shodai-sama could ever use Mokuton with such skill and power…No Genin however talented could do that. It is acquired through decades of experience only…" said Kakashi.

Kushina was stunned. She had no choice but to believe her son after what Kakashi and Hiruzen said. She stared at Naruto with mixed emotions on her face. Love for her son and reverence for his greatness.

Minato's idiotic mistake had awakened a legend…

"Would you prefer Naruto or Hashirama when we are alone, Naruto?" she asked.

"Call me Naruto, Kaa-san. I am still your son, even if I was Hashirama back then…"

Kushina nodded, looking relieved. It would take her a long time to get used to the reality of Senju Hashirama being born as her son. She would adapt for her son's sake.

The Sandaime looked at all of them.

"I called all of you here primarily to discuss the matter of Orochimaru. Jiraiya, Naruto, you have to stop tailing Kabuto from hereon. Our Jounin Gekko Hayate who was tailing him yesterday has been killed."

Naruto had a sad look on his face, as did Jiraiya and Kakashi. Hayate's death was a great loss to the Jounin, as he was very talented at Kenjutsu.

Jiraiya looked at Hiruzen. "I assume you called me and Naruto to brief Kushina and Kakashi of our findings, Sensei."

"In part, Jiraiya. Kakashi and Kushina are informed of the essentials of Orochimaru's involvement. They need more specifics. We also need to discuss how we are to meet Orochimaru's invasion with the limited information we have…"

Jiraiya nodded and turned to Kushina and Kakashi.

"Naruto here discovered that Orochimaru was planning to use the Edo Tensei to resurrect Hashirama and Tobirama, and use them to kill Sensei. He was unable to resurrect Hashirama, and has found a replacement for him."

Kushina was first outraged that Naruto was being sent on such high level missions at such a young age, but she remembered just who he was.

He would be in no danger even if discovered. It would be hard indeed for her to curb her protective instinct as a mother…that too after seeing her son a decade later.

Naruto took up the narrative.

"We know for certain that he will be using two Edo Tensei summons and one of them will be my brother, Tobirama. It will be easy to subdue Tobirama because Orochimaru would not dare bring him back at full strength. Our only worry is the unknown summons…"

The Sandaime now interjected:

"We also know that Orochimaru is going to invade with a considerable force of Oto Ninja. He will want to kill me personally, so I assume he will be present at the stadium in a disguise. We are still unable to find out what…"

Kakashi asked, "How do we respond then, Hokage-sama?"

"First we cannot let anyone except the Elite Jounin know of this. I have the opportunity to finish off Orochimaru once and for all, and I will take it no matter what. Orochimaru will call off the invasion if he smells too much wariness on our part. We should lay a careful trap…"

Jiraiya then spoke: "We will have three teams composed entirely of ANBU, each lead by one of us. Kakashi will lead a team to respond to threats within the stadium, Kushina and I will lead teams to guard Konoha from without. The Jounin will be able to guard the village itself once the invasion happens, under Kakashi's guidance….."

"What will Naruto be doing?" asked a worried Kushina, observing her son who looked calm and solemn.

"Hiruzen will be there at the stadium to deal with Orochimaru once and for all, and I will be there with him to subdue Tobirama and the unknown summons. I could always beat my brother in a fight even at his full strength…" Naruto said.

"What of the evacuation of the children of the academy?" Kakashi asked Hiruzen.

"We will send Jounin and Genin to oversee their evacuation."

The Sandaime looked at them all.

"There is one last matter. Naruto, your true lineage will be announced after this whole affair is done with. Until then, please keep it under wraps as the Raikage will be visiting. He will be unsettled enough with the Red Death's presence, but knowing that her and Minato's son is still alive will be a matter of alarm for him and the nations…."

"I know politics, Hiruzen. Did you forget who taught you its fundamentals when you were little?" asked Naruto in an amused voice.

The Sandaime looked sheepish. "Right, Sorry sensei. Just making sure…"

Kakashi, Jiraiya and Kushina stared, amazed at this interaction. They forgot easily that Naruto used to be Hiruzen's sensei in another lifetime.

"I need to release the seal, Hiruzen. I am starting to feel the drain…" said Naruto and released it at the nods of assent.

When the room jerked back to normal, Naruto spoke to Kushina.

"Where will you be staying, Kaa-san? Will you go to the Namikaze house you and Tou-san stayed in?"

Kushina looked regretful. "That place holds too many memories for me, Naruto. I will find someplace else…"

"You can stay with me, Kaa-san…"

Kushina looked uncertain. She wanted to stay with him. _How _she wanted to. But how would he feel if his mother who left him for so long, for whatever reason, was back in his life so suddenly?

"You don't want to?" Naruto asked, looking vulnerable.

Kushina cursed herself. "It is not that, Naruto-kun. I would _love_ to stay with you, but I do not wish to impose…"

Naruto looked happier. "There is no question of imposition within family, Kaa-san."

They left for his apartment, a couple of blurs flashing through the air.

…

**NARUTO'S APARTMENT**

"So this is your apartment, Naruto."

"Yes, Kaa-san…do you like it?"

Kushina mused to herself as she stared at the rather untidy apartment.

"It could use some tidying up. Boys…all the same. Minato was just like you, you know. He used to _Hiraishin_ all over his apartment to tidy up before our date there…" she said wistfully, remembering her beloved husband.

She looked at Naruto quickly, and asked him the one question eating at her.

"Naruto, do you truly forgive me for my absence or was it something you just said? Tell me the truth please, son. I can handle it. Tell me the truth about what you feel about me and my actions..."

Naruto sighed.

"Look, Kaa-san. I have lived my life as Hashirama with little of motherly love. I have been denied that for the entire duration of my life as Naruto. I have no idea how to accept a mother's love…"

Kushina was near tears. She would never forgive herself for depriving him of her love as a child, no matter how good her reasons.

Excuses and iron-clad reasons just became dust for a mother when faced with her child's anguish.

"…The best I had as Naruto was the Old Man. But you forget something. I may be a child in body, but I was the one who ended the age of warring clans and built Konoha. I am Senju Hashirama, and I have learned the misery and happiness of life a long time ago. I know all too well to keep family close and to forgive them…"

Kushina looked at her son with wonder blossoming again in her heart. This was Senju Hashirama speaking! The greatest ninja himself, reborn as her son!

Naruto did not notice his mother's fluctuating emotions and continued speaking of feelings long buried.

"Even if I had no one during this childhood, I had family as Hashirama. Those memories let me lose much of my resentment for you. I may look young, but I am old…"

Naruto was now feeling the full import of his two lives. Kushina was just staring at her son…he was extraordinary beyond measure. She did not dare interrupt his thoughts as he seemed to be pouring his real feelings out.

"I know _exactly_ how you are feeling, Kaa-san. I was a father too. And I can imagine how it would feel if my children were to resent me in these circumstances. So, that is why it is easy for me to forgive you…I have the perspective of a father." Naruto said to her sincerely, taking her hand.

Kushina nodded tremulously. There was no other word for to describe her son.

Naruto was extraordinary, a gift to soothe this hate filled world. He was precious.

She would be there for him and help him with his dreams and goals however lofty they may be, she promised herself as his mother.

They stayed up late into the night, exchanging the details of their lives. Getting to know each other.

Naruto had someone he could truly call his family, besides his granddaughter Tsunade. He had a mother for the first time in two lives, and he was happy.

The trees of Konoha seemed to shine benevolently and flowers began to bloom in the village.

…..

"The flowers are blooming…" said Jiraiya, while adjusting the anti-intruder sealing array. The Sandaime and Kakashi looked at the trees in the park and they seemed healthier.

Jiraiya was right. The withering flowers of the park bloomed.

"Naruto" whispered the third, recognition on his face.

Kakashi looked at him questioningly.

"He is happy. It always happened during my childhood. When I learned the first Doton jutsu he taught me …the earth wall, he was so happy that Konoha looked like Kami's garden for a month or so…", said Hiruzen, the memories of his childhood lighting up his old face.

Jiraiya and Kakashi listened to the story like little kids listened to Iruka at the Academy.

"Harsh winters make the village desolate and shorn of its beauty. It happened once more when he was carrying a two year old Tsunade in his arms, she was so little…he was walking to the Hokage tower.

A snowflake fell on Tsunade's cheek, and she was crying, "Ojisan!" from the sudden cold. It was her first word. Hashirama-sama was crying tears of joy and the ground just thawed, responding to him and converting itself into a lawn…spring arrived a month early in Konoha that year."

"I remember after that, the children used to make him happy deliberately, and flowers would bloom in Konoha. That Konoha was lost though, when he passed during the first war…" finished Sarutobi.

Jiraiya looked entranced by the story. Kakashi looked reverent.

"He has returned now, sensei. The flowers of Konoha are blooming again…" said Jiraiya.

Hiruzen looked around them, noting the returned beauty of the park.

"So they are" he said with a wide smile on his face.

…..

**FIFTEEN DAYS LATER**

Naruto and Sasuke walked silently to Naruto's apartment.

"So your training is over, Teme?" asked Naruto breaking the silence.

"Yes, thank kami. I know you and Kakashi told me to take the remaining two days off to recuperate, but can't I do it myself? I just want to be lazy for the next few days, believe it or not…"

Naruto looked at him seriously. "There is someone I want you to meet, Sasuke. Someone very important to both you and me…"

Sasuke looked at him quizzically but followed silently as Naruto opened the door to his apartment. Someone important to him, what did that mean?

The first thing he saw when he followed Naruto into his apartment was that it was cleaner. The walls were gleaming, the books were arranged, the bedding was new…it was a different place altogether.

But what shocked him even more was the beautiful woman with long red hair, whose face resembled Naruto's greatly. It was as if she was his mother. Wait…his…

"Who are you?" he asked the woman. Naruto just stood to the side, watching them silently.

She walked up to him silently and began introducing herself softly.

"Hello Sasuke-kun, I am Uzumaki Kushina. I am Naruto's mother and…and your godmother. Uchiha Mikoto was like a sister to me…."

Sasuke stared at Kushina with pure shock upon his face.

"Where were you all this time…?"

…..

It had taken them the better part of three hours to explain to Sasuke the story of the Namikaze family, leaving out Naruto's secret.

He sat stunned at the end of it all…

"So you are the heir of the Yondaime and Red Death of Konoha? No wonder you are so strong…"

Naruto nodded. "We were raised together for two months, Sasuke. Mikoto-san took care of me along with you when Kaa-san was incapacitated…"

Sasuke's face softened considerably at this.

"Do you…do you mind if I come over sometimes to talk, Kushina-san?" Sasuke asked hesitantly.

Kushina hugged them both to her tightly, Sasuke squirming with discomfort at being within Naruto's proximity.

"Not at all, Sasuke-kun. You are as good as a son to me…."

Naruto sighed with happiness as the family of two became three.

He knew it, now. Sasuke would become more powerful than Madara in due time…

Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto would bring the everlasting peace and understanding Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama could not.

He knew it well.

…..

**COUNCIL ROOM, KONOHA**

"Greetings, A-dono", greeted the Hokage. The Raikage A had arrived two days back and submitted a proposal on Kumo's behalf.

"Greetings, Hiruzen-dono. Let us get down to business. What is Konoha's response to Kumo's proposal?"

The council members looked at Hiruzen and nodded. Hiruzen responded:

"Konoha agrees to Kumo's proposal, Raikage-dono. The non-aggression pact is accepted by us in exchange for your...aid...and will be valid for the next three years between our two nations."

A nodded.

"The formalities will be complete by tonight. Will you not stay , A-dono?" asked Hiruzen, hoping he would not.

The Raikage staying while they executed their trap was a complication they did _not_ need. His hopes were answered.

"I would like to, but cannot, Hiruzen-dono. I have a scheduled conference with the Mizukage in five days, so I cannot pause. I have faith in Yugito, though, she is quite strong…"

"As you say, A-dono. I hope our countries shall prosper with this newest treaty…"

_Do not break the treaty, A._

"I hope for that as well, Hiruzen-dono."

_The same to you, Hiruzen._

Hiruzen watched as the muscular Kage collected his brother who was really annoying the ANBU with his so-called rap.

A and B, they were strange but true brothers. It was time to make the final preparations for tomorrow's plan to work.

They had polished the rough edges to the plan. They were ready to take out one of the biggest threats to the village.

…..

Naruto and Kushina ate their food in silence. They had discovered that they both shared a maniacal worship for Ramen.

"So, Kaa-san, all these days it has been only about me. Tell me more about what you did when you left me…"

Kushina's face scrunched up in pain at being reminded of that. She looked down in shame.

"I have clearance from the Old Man, if that is what you are worried about. As long as you have a good security seal array protecting us, you can tell me…which you do.", he continued obliviously.

Kushina looked at Naruto.

"No, Naruto. I will tell you, you deserve to know. Ever since I left you, I was Konoha's diplomatic envoy and of course non official spy to Kiri. I headed our intelligence there, just as Jiraiya-sama does for the rest of the nations.

We were getting disturbing reports from Kiri back then, and I was sent there to assess the situation. I managed Konoha's front there for the next five years, after which the Yondaime Mizukage Yagura spawned a civil war with his persecution of bloodlines."

Naruto listened with rapt attention.

"I don't need to tell _you_ of the horrors of a war, you are Hashirama after all…Anyway, I was instructed to lend aid to the rebel forces as Konoha is a great supporter of bloodlines and did not want anymore of them lost.

Then I rescued an extremely strong Jounin, Mei Terumi who is about six years younger than me. Her bloodlines, Lava Release and Boil Release make her a feared opponent. She is part Uzumaki…"

Naruto felt happier. The Uzumaki clan still thrived. The most resilient and long lived clan would take more than a single war to wipe out, he thought with pride.

"The two of us led the bloodline faction for three long and bloody years of internal war. We managed to kill Yagura in the end, though. In fact, by the time I got Hiruzen's call, Mei was already the new Mizukage…"

Naruto nodded. His mother was a very strong Kunoichi indeed.

"I am impressed, Kaa-san. Do you think I can meet this Terumi Mei of yours…?"

Kushina looked elated. "Of course, Naruto. She used to be raving about how she wanted to meet you. We became such close friends that I even told her the truth about you being alive…just like me and Mikoto. At least I can do this for you; you need none of my training…"

"What do you mean?" asked Naruto, tilting his head.

"What can _I_ teach _Senju Hashirama?_ I thought of training you in the Fuuinjutsu of the Uzumaki and the Kenjutsu developed by me exclusively…but I cannot have everything I suppose." said Kushina tearfully.

"We can still spar together, Kaa-san. I just did not bring it up because I have no wish for my first clear memories of my mother to be ones of conflict…we can spar after the finals, though. I can always learn from someone of your stature…"

Kushina looked happier. She suddenly brought up a topic that was very painful for Naruto.

"Do you like any girls, Naruto? Any academy chicks gotten into your _sensory field?_" she asked mischievously.

Naruto let his pain show, which made Kushina go silent very fast. This was something he had shoved in the deepest recesses of his mind, lest it overwhelm him.

"I'm so sorry musuko, did I say something…_oh…_" she got an understanding look on her face and felt like punching herself, hard. She always ran her mouth too much sometimes.

Naruto looked her in the eyes and Kushina gasped. Those forest green eyes showed so much anguish that it froze her. He was still grieving for _her_…?

"Kaa-san, please avoid that topic unless you wish to cause me pain. My heart shall forever belong to Mito and her alone. I can _never_ even _think_ about loving another woman as long as I am alive…", said Naruto.

Kushina nodded mutely. She should have never brought that up…

"Anyway, have you been given your team yet, Kaa-san?"

Kushina allowed the change in subject, and they dwelled upon the specifics of their roles during the invasion.

**ARENA, CHUUNIN EXAM FINALS**

Naruto stood alongside Hiruzen disguised as ANBU, watching Sasuke and Gaara face off against each other in the first match of the finals.

He reached his hand to his back and caressed the beautiful black Wakizashi blade gifted to him by his mother. It felt so light strapped his back, so sharp. Sasuke had gotten one too, but he had gotten a katana.

They were all ready. His mother and Jiraiya were patrolling outside Konoha with their teams.

Kakashi and his team were on guard in the stadium, as were all the Jounin. They had prepared as best as they could.

The Kazekage came strolling towards his seat, his face covered by a veil. Naruto extended his senses to sample the Kazekage's chakra for the first time, and he was shocked. Beyond shocked.

_Clever, Orochimaru. Clever indeed._

Orochimaru was masquerading as the Kazekage. The real Yondaime Kazekage was probably dead.

He cursed.

Orochimaru's plan fell into place in his head like pieces of a jigsaw.

_He plans to use Suna and Oto to attack us simultaneously. Suna from within and Oto from without. Good that we divided our forces evenly…_

Naruto watched as the 'Kazekage' and Hiruzen greeted each other, and sat on their respective seats.

He bent down and whispered the truth to Hiruzen. The Sandaime's eyes widened in alarm and he whispered back in Naruto's ear.

"_Warn Kakashi to be ready for this. Ask him to send a message to Kushina…"_

Naruto nodded, concealed by his cat mask and disappeared and reappeared back again after a few moments.

He had sent a wood clone with a message to Kakashi.

"A problem, Hokage?" inquired the 'Kazekage' solicitously.

"Just a small adjustment to today's programme, Kazekage" said Hiruzen lightly.

"Let us enjoy the show, Kazekage. It is my prized Genin versus yours after all…"

They watched as Gaara just gave his trademark stare of death to Sasuke.

Sasuke just smiled back.

This seemed to have annoyed Gaara as sand poured out of his gourd and just shot towards Sasuke.

But it was not really fast enough to keep up with a Sasuke who had made such progress with _shunshin._ Every time Gaara lunged for him with sand, the Uchiha disappeared and appeared elsewhere.

The crowd were going bonkers as they enjoyed their beloved 'Last Uchiha' make sport of the red headed sand using maniac.

Naruto had warned Sasuke not to use Genjutsu, though. It was of no use against Jinchuuriki like Gaara, whose bijuu was a psychopathic raccoon that induced fluctuations of its own in the host's chakra network constantly.

Not conducive for Genjutsu.

Naruto saw what Sasuke was doing, though. It was a good tactic to dodge the sand and analyse Gaara's attack pattern and Jutsu with his Sharingan. If he could predict those accurately, he wouldn't even need _shunshin_ to dodge.

The teme still wouldn't say how he got the third tomoe of his Sharingan. He could feel the beginnings of exertions in the Uchiha's chakra flow.

He couldn't keep up the _shunshin_ use forever. It was a rather draining jutsu that consumed a lot of chakra. Chakra that Sasuke was yet to develop. It was already impressive that he used it the way he did now…

Gaara's irritation showed itself at last.

"Stay still, Uchiha. Mother craves your blood…"

Kurama snorted with amusement in Naruto's mind. The Kyuubi had been rather silent as of late, allowing its container to deal with his tumultuous life by his own. He was hardly an expert at soothing humans, so he helped the best way he knew.

He shut up. And Naruto was grateful for it.

….

Kakashi only paid minimal attention to the match as he considered Naruto's message. He had sent an ANBU to warn Kushina and Jiraiya.

His ANBU were undercover as civilians, and ready to respond at a moment's notice. The Jounin with him were ready as well.

Kakashi watched as Sasuke stopped flashing around, and simply waited for Gaara to attack again.

He had instructed his ANBU not to interfere with the Sandaime and Naruto. To ninja like them, more help would just be a hindrance.

…

Kushina and Jiraiya met at the east gate, their teams on reserve. Their sensors and scouts were constantly patrolling the territory within sight of Konoha.

"Kushina, did you get the message?"

"Yes, Jiraiya-sensei. I worry for Naruto, he will be facing Orochimaru again so soon…"

Jiraiya snorted. "I wouldn't worry about the Gaki, Kushina. You know who he is…"

Kushina nodded, but still looked worried.

"My team has found no indications of any invading nin. What is Orochimaru up to?"

"That teme is unpredictable, if anything. We must be ready for anything, Kushina. You take north and east; I will take south and west…"

Kushina nodded in confirmation. "Hai, Jiraiya-sensei."

They separated in a blur.

…..

Sasuke watched calmly as the sand shot towards him from multiple directions. He had the Jinchuuriki now.

He could predict how he struck and could avoid with his greatly increased physical speed.

The crowd gasped, stunned, as he neatly avoided Gaara's attacks as if he knew how they would hit a year ago.

Running towards Gaara, he dodged even more sand attacks gracefully, his Sharingan spinning. His speed increased as he leaped high into the air, twisting cleanly to avoid Gaara's whip of sand.

He landed right in front of Gaara and unleashed a hard punch to his face, well before his shield of sand could kick in. The sand user flew back hard, hitting the walls of the arena with a crunch.

A bit of sand fell off his face, revealing the skin underneath. It seemed that his armour of sand had protected him.

Sasuke disappeared and appeared in front of Gaara with a fast kick, but retracted at the last second when a dome covered the Sand nin and extended spikes toward him.

Not wasting a second, he appeared high upon the wall opposite Gaara and began concentrating chakra into his hand. The technique he was using could cut through anything.

….

Naruto watched as Sasuke charged up his version of Kakashi's technique, Chidori. A sound of thousand birds chirping filled the air as blue lightning crackled in Sasuke's hand.

The young Uchiha charged fast and hard at Gaara, causing the Suna Genin to extend those sand spikes at him.

The Sharingan was too formidable, though and allowed Sasuke to dodge the spikes and plunge his Chidori right through Gaara's so called ultimate defence.

A horrible scream filled the air as the sphere of sand encasing Gaara blew apart, revealing Sasuke with his hand right through Gaara's shoulder, near his heart.

"NO!" screamed Gaara's siblings. Naruto wasn't too concerned, though. A Jinchuuriki would not die so easily.

Sasuke pulled out his hand, spattering the blood of his opponent. Sure enough, Gaara's wound began to steam and close up.

Soon, it was fully healed. The red haired Jinchuuriki looked furious beyond description.

"BLOOD! MY BLOOD? I WILL KILL YOU ALL!" he roared. Sasuke looked at him, wary of his bloodlust. The crowd seemed stunned.

Naruto observed Orochimaru, as he sat by the edge of his seat waiting for something to happen.

Gaara was obscured by a huge pillar of sand, blowing Sasuke away. Orochimaru signalled to someone, and Naruto could feel Genjutsu being cast on the entire stadium, feathers falling everywhere.

He and Hiruzen were abruptly enclosed along with Orochimaru by some sort of barrier that reached up high and had two layers. It was held by what looked like ridiculous teens, who situated themselves within the layers of the barrier.

_It had begun._

…..

The crowds were falling asleep, but Kakashi's team and the Jounin had dispelled the illusion.

Kakashi and his team spread throughout the stadium, taking out the sand Ninja mercilessly. The Konoha Jounin led their Genin out efficiently to help in the protection of the village.

Temari and Kankurou were out fast, but Sasuke pursued them on orders from Shiranui Genma, the proctor who engaged the sensei of Gaara, Baki. Things were taking place too fast.

"TANUKI NEIRI NO JUTSU!", came the shout from within the sand pillar. The sand dispersed, revealing the huge form of the one tailed bijuu, Shukaku.

"I'm BACK!" roared the funky bijuu. Gaara had released the sand demon at last.

…

The Kazekage flew back, pulling off his veil.

"Hello, Sarutobi-sensei and Naruto-kun…" said the now revealed snake-sannin.

"Orochimaru, my foolish student. You are really stupid to fight me here and now…"

"I wouldn't say that Sarutobi-sensei, look at Gaara, would you? What do you think will happen if…Konoha takes a full on Bijuudama..?", he asked with glee.

Naruto and Hiruzen looked at Gaara, their eyes blazing. Orochimaru signalled, and another barrier separated the two from him, protecting him while he summoned. He slammed his palms together.

"**Kuchiyose: Edo Tensei!"**

Two coffins began to rise out of space-time rips in the ground. Hiruzen watched silently, as he knew Naruto would hold the Shukaku off till help arrived. Then they could deal with Orochimaru and his summons….

Naruto flared his chakra and watched the Shukaku as it turned its attention to the battle on the roof.

"YOU ARE THE ONE ANOYING ME! I FOUND SOMEONE TO KILL!" yelled the bijuu, and opened its mouth, gathering enormous chakra.

Dimly Naruto noted Orochimaru completing the Edo Tensei. Just a little more time for her to show up…

Yugito could conceal herself, but Matatabi could not conceal herself from Kurama.

"_Kurama, is Matatabi here yet?"_

_"__**Yeah. I can feel her Jinchuuriki changing into the Tailed state…You will have to hold off that Bijuudama Shukaku has aimed at you before she deals with the raccoon."**_

Naruto nodded. Shukaku's strength had nothing on Kurama. He bit his finger, and began his summoning.

"**Kuchiyose: Sanjuu Rashoumon!"**

The tailed beast bomb of Shukaku exploded towards the podium in a hail of destruction, but was intercepted by three demonic gates and a blinding explosion ensued.

Orochimaru was impressed. To summon the Rashoumon at such an age was a daunting prospect.

When the air cleared, Shukaku was facing another bijuu. The two tailed hellcat, Niibi. Yugito had come through, Naruto thought with relief.

Hiruzen had made a really good deal with that Raikage.

Naruto had to act fast to keep the village from being destroyed. He had to contain the bijuu within the stadium _and_ conserve his strength for Orochimaru's summons, which were nearly out.

"_Mokuton: Yokusei no Mokusei Hankyo"_

Massive wooden pillars arched from the edges of the Arena to confine the two bijuu in a huge hemisphere of wood. The stadium and city were safe for a while.

Naruto turned to Hiruzen. "It is done, Hiruzen. Shukaku will be defeated by Matatabi before he breaks out of sphere. Oh, and hello again, Orochimaru…"

Orochimaru was looking at Naruto with absolute amazement on his face.

"Mokuton….Well, no matter. Meet your former teachers again, sensei…"

The coffins' door fell, revealing two figures.

Senju Tobirama…and…

Uzumaki Mito.

…..

Sound ninja were pouring into Konoha territory in a concentrated assault on the east side, about two hundred of them.

A Massive snake appeared with them, going straight for the gates.

"_Katon: Gouryuuka no Jutsu!"_ yelled Kushina, breathing out a huge dragon of fire. The snake was completely swallowed by the fire dragon, and was vaporized.

Kushina's team nodded appreciatively.

"Team, engage the Sound ninja! We cannot let them enter Konoha! Let's go!"

…..

"_Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"_

There was a large puff of smoke, and Jiraiya stood upon the Toad Boss, Gamabunta, facing the huge snake and the Oto ninja attacking them.

"No time for whining, give me oil Bunta!"

The boss toad looked annoyed, but did as he was told.

"_Katon: Gamayu Endan!"_

The stream of fire from Jiraiya ignited the torrent of oil spewing out of Gamabunta's mouth, creating a massive conflagration of fire.

The snake summons was done for, but the Oto Ninja defended themselves well.

"_Suiton: Suuijinheki!"_ roared twenty Oto ninja, neutralizing Jiraiya's attack with a collective water wall.

They charged in formation and were engaged by Jiraiya's team in front of Konoha's South gate.

The battle was joined.

…

Kakashi and his team moved through the village, encountering the Sand ninja within and neutralizing them.

It was a brilliant plan they had devised. The hunters were now the hunted.

"Kakashi-taicho! That is Jiraiya-sama's summon, meaning he should be facing a considerable force. Do we assist?" questioned Uzuki Yuugao urgently.

"No. Jiraiya-sama and Kushina-san need no assistance. The two of them are powerful enough to defeat entire battalions, but their wide range jutsu will cause us collateral damage which is why they are holding back. They can take care of themselves and their teams…"

His own team nodded.

"What is the status of the fight in the stadium?" questioned Kakashi.

"Naruto-san has confined Ichibi and Niibi Jinchuuriki with Mokuton…" said Tenzo, hardly able to believe it, but continued.

"He and Hiruzen-sama are currently fighting Orochimaru and what looks to be the Niidaime Hokage and Uzumaki Mito…"

Kakashi was extremely concerned for Naruto. If there was any way to thoroughly upset him, this was it. But he had his orders and he had to defend the village.

"Thank you, Tenzo. Leave your wood clone right where it is to give us direct updates. Since most of the Suna-nin are taken care of, we will stand by as a reserve and help where we can, _inside_ the village…" he added pointedly.

"Hai, taicho."

…

Naruto stared at the forms of his brother and wife with tears in his eyes. Tobirama looked just the way he remembered, blue armor, long spiky white hair…

That head guard he had liked so much…he was barely holding himself together as he saw his dead little brother in the world again.

But when his eyes alighted upon his wife, the tears suddenly started falling. Fuuinjutsu tags as her ear ornaments; white kimono and looking like an angel.

He had forgotten how beautiful she was.

Hiruzen was not looking at his former superiors, but at Naruto. The pain this reunion must be causing him…This would bring out the secrets Orochimaru did not need to know. He had to deal with Orochimaru as Naruto dealt with his reanimated family.

The barrier between the adversaries dissolved, but the one confining them on the podium remained, held by the four Oto ninja.

Orochimaru looked intrigued by Naruto's reaction to his summons. Something did not add up here…

He walked to Mito and Tobirama and thrust Kunai with Fuuinjutsu tags into their heads. Their bodies started steaming, and they began to gain the complexion they had possessed in their prime.

Tobirama and Mito looked up and saw their two opponents.

"Saru, you have grown old…" said Tobirama dispassionately.

"Hiruzen-chan, you seem like an ancient monkey. I seem to remember you telling me as a little boy that you would _never _become older than twelve years…", Mito laughed happily.

Naruto's heart quickened at hearing his wife laugh again. He couldn't even speak, looking at her.

Then it struck him.

"Orochimaru, you idiot…" Naruto shook his head pityingly.

Mito glanced at him, as did Tobirama.

"Who are you, youngster?" Tobirama asked in a stern voice.

Naruto was incensed, his little brother calling _him _little? Orochimaru was watching the byplay interestedly…

Naruto flared his chakra considerably, and the tiles of the roof were cracking and floating away in pieces. Hiruzen and Orochimaru were doing the same but were drowned by Naruto's strength…

"Enough conversation, old people. Kill the boy, Mito-san. Tobirama, attack the old man…Konoha will burn under my hand!"

But nothing happened. Tobirama and Mito were staring at Naruto, their eyes wide.

"You have the same chakra as my brother, boy. How is that possible…?" asked Tobirama. Mito was staring at him amazed. Naruto sighed; she had still not deduced the truth.

A fight such as this was no place for a reunion such as theirs, no matter how much he wished it.

"What? What is happening? KILL THEM!" screamed Orochimaru, who was looking frantic.

Mito looked at Orochimaru with an intrigued look on her face.

"So…you are the one who brought me back with Edo Tensei. You brought me back at full strength, while you suppressed Tobirama's. Youngster, you underestimate the wrong people…." said Mito, shaking her head.

A dense grey chakra was rolling off her, causing ripples in the air.

"Bringing me back was foolish if you wanted me to attack Konoha…You did well to shut Tobirama's emotions, but leaving me with complete control of mine was your last mistake…"

The Kunai in Mito floated back out and was crushed into smithereens.

Naruto's chakra was saturating the air in a terrible joy as he watched his wife cast off Orochimaru's weak bindings. Hiruzen was watching disbelievingly, he had no idea of Mito-sama's strength.

Orochimaru was looking very disturbed at this unexpected turn in events, and he held up a half ram seal.

Tobirama walked forward as if he were on strings and ran at Hiruzen, while Orochimaru was trying to get Mito back under his control, cursing all the while.

"Hiruzen, hold off Tobirama will you? I will deal with Mito and that foolish student of yours…"

Hiruzen nodded and disappeared, meeting the Niidaime for a fierce bout of Taijutsu in the air.

Naruto stared at Mito who was making various handseals, fast. He recognized this technique well, it was incomplete. He had made her promise never to use it again because of the consequences.

Why was she….

"**FUUINJUTSU: JUNSUINA SEKAI NO KAIHO!"**

_Liberation of the pure world._

The counter she had devised when Tobirama had made Edo Tensei. Only she understood enough to use it…it was so impossibly complex that not even Tobirama could understand the seals.

Orochimaru watched open mouthed as Mito not only threw off his binding like it was nothing, but was actually returning to the living world.

He had miscalculated terribly.

Mito's body which had seemed unnatural and otherworldly was changing. She got colour back in her cheeks and the spark of life returned to her eyes.

Naruto was thanking Kami with every fibre of his body. His wife was somehow, inexplicably returned to him. How could that technique have _this _effect…

"How…" sputtered Orochimaru.

Mito took in her first breath again, an expression of joy upon her face.

"Hashirama-kun made me promise never to research this technique further, as its price was death. It is an incomplete counter to Edo Tensei, and its price for bringing back a soul from the pure world is death for the caster…"

Orochimaru had a look of comprehension upon his face.

"I have to thank you for bringing me back in the prime of my youth youngster….When I used the _liberation of the pure world_, my soul which was between worlds suffered what might be called a reverse death bringing me back from the pure world to here…it is a matter of balance."

Orochimaru turned to the sound four with absolute frustration upon his face.

"Release the barrier and be ready to run. The invasion is not going as expected…"

"Orochimaru-sama…" the four looked uncertain. Naruto watched them with interest, which was counterintuitive. Why would they want to stay in a fight they would die in?

Hiruzen sent a large torrent of white hot fire at Tobirama, who easily stopped it with water. At the same time the dome of wood holding both Jinchuuriki exploded, revealing two figures upon the ground.

Yugito was standing over an unconscious Gaara. The arena was completely destroyed and looked more like a massive crater.

Naruto appeared beside Mito, shelving his high emotions. He had to deal with Orochimaru first and only then reunite with Mito.

"Well, Orochimaru…your ninja cannot release the barrier, your work I presume, Mito-chan?"

Mito was puzzled at being addressed so affectionately. There was something very familiar about the blonde, besides his possession of Hashirama's chakra and bloodline. Something that made her heart beat faster.

She looked at Orochimaru. "Indeed. Do you think I would let you leave so easily, youngster? I don't take kindly to people who try to destroy my husband's legacy…"

Orochimaru looked like a cornered animal.

"You are truly powerful, Mito-san…"

Hiruzen appeared alongside Naruto and Mito, looking at them as if all his dreams were come true.

"I need to face Orochimaru myself, Naruto…"

Naruto sighed. "Can you handle him and Tobirama together?"

"Yes, Tobirama-sensei is not at full strength. Leave things here to me…"

Naruto nodded. "Tell Tobirama nothing…I don't want him to be in turmoil…"

Hiruzen nodded.

The sound four looked like caged rats. Orochimaru's anger was palpable…

Naruto turned to Mito. "Come, Mito-chan. Let me explain to you how I am the exact same as your husband on the way. Konoha needs our assistance. You can get through the barrier, I assume?"

Mito nodded. "Easily…"

Naruto extended his hand to her and Mito took it. Mito's Fuuinjutsu ornaments glowed and the couple just flashed through the barrier as if it didn't exist.

Hiruzen turned to Orochimaru and Tobirama, preparing himself to correct the mistake he had made a decade ago.

….

Jiraiya and Kushina met at the South gate, looking worse for the wear. Their teams had managed to completely eradicate the invading sound ninja.

"Jiraiya-sensei, we have several wounded on our team. Can you lend us more medics…?"

Jiraiya nodded, ordering his medics to heal Kushina's wounded. The battle had extremely fierce, but their plan had been good enough to grant them victory.

Of course, having S-class ninja lead the defenders never hurt.

"How do you think Naruto is doing…?" Kushina asked.

"He will be fine…he has regained a considerable portion of his old strength and you know that is no laughing matter…"

Kushina seemed relieved with Jiraiya's reassurances. They watched as their teams recuperated from the fierce battle.

They could not re-enter Konoha till Orochimaru was dealt with. The village's perimeter had to be guarded till then…

A young Konoha ninja suddenly appeared in front of the two S-class ninja, Kunai piercing him all over his body.

Kushina and Jiraiya appeared to steady him, yelling for medics. Jiraiya looked at the Chuunin urgently…

"You are a border patrol ninja, aren't you? What happened?"

The ninja gasped out…"Iwa…it was Iwa. About two thousand…White explosion…dust everywhere…border guard overwhelmed…"

The medics were arriving. Kushina looked stunned, and Jiraiya shook the border patrol Chuunin trying to keep him conscious.

"Hey kid…answer me…how far away are they…?"

"Half…hour…"

Before he could ask any more questions, the medics came and dragged the boy away to be healed.

Jiraiya looked at Kushina with apprehension on his face, which was mirrored by her.

"Of all the times for Iwa to turn on us…No matter. We have little time for healing, Kushina. We have to reorganize the defence and hold till our reinforcements get here…send a message for them…"

Kushina looked determined and a little afraid. Not for herself or Jiraiya. They could survive. She was afraid that her team of ANBU, none of them tested in an open battle would die…they were already weakened by the sound ninja.

"Hai, Jiraiya-sensei. By the boy's description it seems as if Onoki the fence-sitter himself is leading the Iwa shinobi. It will need both of us to stop him from massacring Konoha…"

Jiraiya nodded. They would be lucky to leave alive…

Author's note:

Alright, I keep getting these reviews on how Naruto is just being Hashirama and not himself.

Let me tell you how I imagined it. I will argue in points.

1. When Naruto awoke his old life, he was but a child with a barely developed sense of self. He was still searching for who he was, as opposed to him as Hashirama who had little of such conflicts. Also remember that Naruto's life at that point was one of pain and abandonment, and his moronic self was just a mask.

2.A soul that has experienced misery naturally gravitates towards love. So if Naruto were to take solace from the love experienced by Hashirama, he would have to become Hashirama essentially and his personality as Naruto would take a backseat. Not destroyed, mind you. It is a coexistence of both lives.

(I Imagined myself in his situation. If I were to remember a past life,say 'X', would that be a focus for me, or would it be this life?The life which caused me to enter this world?

In my opinion, i would define myself as Karldin and not as 'X'. indeed X would be a significant part of me, but I would want to be Karldin no matter how old I was.)

Naruto forms his own bonds and experiences, his Hashirama personality will be tempered by his newer perspective.

**MY ANALOGY**

Think of Naruto's personality as liquid of type A being pumped into a vessel from the bottom. When he awoke Hashirama, he had very little liquid A in the container.

if Hashirama's personality was liquid B, then into our container would pour a considerable amount of liquid B as his personality is highly developed. A new mixture would result, with liquid B dominating.

As Naruto's personality grows, more and more liquid A is pumped in to the container, and a very new mixture would result. There would be balance in the proportion of Liquids A and B in the container, or in other words their personalities.

**CONCLUSION**

**As of now...Naruto has accepted his Hashirama Personality to escape from his loveless life. But that will change as he makes newer friends in this life and begins to accept his mother's love.**

**His old personality will undergo a makeover, tempered by his trials as Naruto.**

**I hope that answers your questions/ satisfies your curiosity.**

**Regards,**

**Karldin.**


	7. Chapter 7

**THANK YOU FOR YOUR REVIEWS AND ENJOY THE CHAPTER!**

**Author's notes that are now missing can be found at the end of chapters 6 and 7. Thank you for the info, reviewers.**

**Rest assured there will be no more chapters only of author's notes.  
**

CHAPTER 7

Naruto and Mito stood opposite each other on top of the Hokage Monument, on top of Hashirama's head ironically.

"…a few months ago, and it awoke my old life in me. Since then I have been both Uzumaki Naruto and …Senju Hashirama."

Mito looked at him with a disbelieving yet desperately hopeful face. She had hoped for it the moment she had laid eyes on him. His chakra and emotions felt too much like Hashirama's…no one could replicate that much of a person unless it was the person himself…

She needed proof, though. To erase all her doubts and assure her that it was indeed her beloved husband reborn, standing in front of her…

"I concede that you have my husband's chakra and bloodline, and you feel very familiar. Give me proof, please give me proof…"

Naruto looked at her, the joy shining bright on his face.

"I activated your seal on the Hokage's office, Mito-chan…"

"Not enough…Tell me something only I and Hashirama would know…" Mito asked, feeling as if this were a dream.

Naruto turned his back to her and observed the space above the monument.

"It was right here, wasn't it Mito-chan? You told me we would have a son, we were alone and we had come here for our walk. The sun was rising, and I was so happy at the news. It makes me happy even today in this life to remember it…"

Tears were flowing down Mito's eyes…"H-Hashirama-kun?"

"_Mokuton: Kami no niwa"_, said Naruto, creating the garden the exact same way he did all those years ago.

The barren land above the Hokage Monument was transformed. A lush green lawn spread over it and Cherry trees sprouted everywhere, showering the reunited couple with their beautiful blossoms.

Naruto had forgotten about Konoha's plight. It could wait…

"Then I went maniacal and started jumping around, creating a garden like this one everywhere…Until you caught me with an immobilization seal and forced me to calm down. I didn't for around three hours, though", laughed Naruto nostalgically.

"Hashirama…." said Mito yet again, rooted to her spot with utter joy. It was true…no one knew all those things except Hashirama. He really was reborn and in front of her….

"Tobirama was different though; he went outside the village for a good distance…and went even more ballistic than me. You should have seen him…Mito-chan"

Mito was slowly walking towards him, hardly believing their good fortune. A second chance, it was a second chance for them. She could be with her beloved husband for an entire lifetime now…

"I can keep telling you of things only I would know…Tsunade's first word, calling me 'Ojisan', how I met my friend Madara for the first time on a river bank, my other dead brothers, Itama and Kawarama…and I can show you something unique to me."

He turned and faced Mito, who had a constant stream of tears flowing down her face.

Mito felt her heart quicken at the sight of him.

He sported the markings of a sage…the same crimson ones Hashirama had possessed. The two concentric circles on the centre of his forehead, the rings around his eyes and the two arcs down his cheeks…

He was beautiful.

She could sense the chakra flowing through his veins like a storm. It was a glorious feeling, to immerse her mind once more in his all-consuming chakra.

"It really is me, Mito-hime…"

She covered the distance between them at a run and flung herself into his arms, where she belonged.

"I missed you so much, Hashirama. Those years without you…" she cried into his shoulder.

"We are together once more, Mito-chan…No one will ever separate us again. I don't like to see you in tears, Mito-chan…", said Naruto stroking her back soothingly.

She wiped her tears, still maintaining her embrace, and examined her husband properly in his reborn body.

He was tall for his age, slightly taller than her with long and spiky blonde hair. He looked very handsome, as much as he did as Hashirama. But he exuded the same calm and power she always placed her faith in, Konoha had placed its faith in.

He released his Senjutsu, the markings fading…and hugged her again tightly, unable to believe their luck , their hearts overflowing with their love.

It was god himself in his infinite mercy, granting them such happiness…

_Arigato…._

….

"Kakashi-taicho! We have bad news, a messenger from the perimeter teams…it seems Iwa is attacking us with the Tsuchikage leading them. Two thousand Iwa Shinobi will be here with the fence-sitter in a matter of minutes…"

Kakashi's eyes widened and he cursed. Of all the times…

"Tenzo, send half the team and Jounin to back up the perimeter division. Iwa chose a bad time…most of our shinobi are out on missions. Now, Tenzo…"

The ANBU nodded and shot off.

Kakashi glanced around the village and sighed. The job was done well and the village was in a state of complete lockdown. The academy students were safe…At least defending the village would be easier without villagers running around like headless chicken.

Something upon the Hokage monument caught his attention. Trees were growing and a lawn was spreading beautifully.

Naruto.

What was Naruto doing, creating trees on top of monuments when the village was about to be attacked?

He decided to go and find out for himself.

….

Naruto and Mito were currently entwined around one another, pouring their love and desperation from years of separation into a single heated kiss.

It was excellent. Mito had said she was physically around seventeen, and he himself was nearing fourteen. It was just fine…he owed Orochimaru's idiocy, the snake Sannin's greed for Mito to be at her strongest was his undoing.

Naruto felt like he was in heaven. His wife's lips felt as soft as ever and her form was as soft as velvet and hard as steel at the same time. She was his light…his light and reason.

A throat cleared behind them, causing them to separate hastily and turn.

"Kakashi-sensei…" said Naruto blushing and irritated at the same time. Mito was watching amusedly; she could never get over him blushing. She had always teased him, called him the 'shy god of shinobi'….

Kakashi looked at Naruto, amazed, and hardly believing what he was doing…he was kissing Uzumaki Mito? That _was _his wife, but still…

Naruto cleared his throat as well.

"Kakashi, meet my wife Uzumaki Mito, first Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi and the greatest sealing mistress the nations have ever seen…" he introduced his wife proudly, taking her hand. Mito blushed faintly at his praise.

"Hashirama stop doing that to him, he seems ready to faint…"

Naruto gave her a deadpan stare. "He does that…"

Kakashi stared at the two legendary figures reunited. He felt so happy for Naruto…but that had to wait. They would need Naruto if they were to prevail in the coming battle.

"Naruto, Iwa is about to attack us in a matter of minutes. We have no idea how they concealed themselves…"

Naruto exchanged glances with Mito.

"It is Onoki's _Meisagakure no Jutsu_, he can hide large numbers of people from view. Only sensor ninja or Uchiha can see through that…" said Mito.

Naruto looked at Mito. "What do we do about Hiruzen, Mito-chan? He was always too self-sacrificing for his own good. He may do something drastic…"

Mito looked back at him. "Hashirama, let Hiruzen correct his own mistakes. He can take care of a weakened Tobirama and that snakelike youngster easily…"

Naruto still looked worried about his student, but Kakashi settled the matter.

"Mito-sama, Naruto, we have no choice but to leave Hokage-sama to deal with Orochimaru. We need you both to defeat Iwa as our shinobi presence in the village is at a low…"

Naruto looked torn, but nodded.

Mito considered Kakashi. "Where are they attacking?"

"From the north and slightly from the east…they will be here soon. Naruto please do not reveal too much of your strength, show enough to be considered borderline S-class…we will be too busy recovering from this to deal with other alarmed nations."

Naruto nodded solemnly, put his arms around Mito's shoulders and looked deep into her eyes.

"Let us fight together once more, Mito-chan."

Mito nodded in joy. Hashirama by himself was near invincible, but together they were truly invincible.

…

Jiraiya and Kushina were standing together, waiting for the inevitable assault. They had delayed Iwa's arrival by setting certain wide range traps, and gained about another half hour.

They were seal masters, and they used every bit of their mastery to delay Onoki.

"We are as ready as possible. Kushina, you have to protect our shinobi from the Lava style attacks of the earth shinobi. It is said that Onoki's granddaughter possesses the powerful lava style bloodline…"

Kushina nodded. "I was never as good against Iwa as against Kumo. They can disperse my Suiton and Katon with their Doton easily…they have some very strong Doton users. Anyway…will you confront the Tsuchikage alone…?"

Jiraiya opened his mouth, presumably to say yes when a voice interrupted him.

"No, he won't confront him at all."

Kushina and Jiraiya turned, staring with wide eyes. Standing behind them was Naruto, Kakashi and a very beautiful young woman, who had red hair and held her son's hand. Kakashi disappeared with a _shunshin_, though, explaining that he needed to check on the shinobi.

"NARUTO!" yelled Kushina, and pulled him into a crushing hug.

Naruto's eyes were popping out.

"Kaa-san…stop…suffering…Tora…"

Kushina released him immediately, looking sheepish.

"What happened to the Sandaime, Naruto?"

"He is fighting Orochimaru and Tobirama. I hope he is alright, his life force feels fine if a little dimmer…"

Naruto looked coldly at Jiraiya. "And stop peeking at my wife, ero-sennin…"

Jiraiya's eyes went back to normal, looking anywhere but at Naruto. He knew who Naruto was, and he knew who his wife should be…how was she here though?

"Your wife…" asked Kushina, looking like she was punch drunk. Mito stepped towards her and said tenderly.

"It has been a long time, Kushina-chan…you have grown into a beautiful and strong Kunoichi. You make me proud…"

Kushina was awed. "Mito-sama, you really are back…"

Mito looked pleased and happy. "I am here to stay, Kushina-chan. My place is by my husband's side…" she said, melting into his embrace.

She could hardly stop touching him, to make sure this was all real.

Naruto looked at Kushina, who looked like she was about to explode with questions. Jiraiya was busily writing down something in a notebook…

"Meet my wife and your daughter in-law Uzumaki Mito, Kaa-san…" Naruto said seriously.

Kushina looked extremely weirded out. She had _no _idea how to feel about this…

Mito bopped him on his head. "Stop confusing everybody, Hashirama. Kushina-chan has already been in a battle…anyway, how much longer do we have…?"

Kushina shut away disordered feelings of her son who was married before she was born and answered.

"Jiraiya-sensei's scouts say Onoki is leading his shinobi at a fast pace and will be here in another half hour. We set traps for him with a wide range swamp seal, and a fire tornado seal. Lots of them…It won't stop the Tsuchikage for long though…his dust release is too strong!"

Naruto put a hand on Kushina's shoulder.

"Don't worry about Onoki, Kaa-san. I had such high hopes for him…but it seems Mu got to him after all. I guess I need to teach him again the same lesson Madara taught him…"

"Onoki fought Madara…?" Jiraiya asked with amazement.

Naruto nodded. "Not fought, exactly. No. More like got humiliated. His strength doesn't even register when compared to Madara or me…"

"Hashirama, you are not at your old strength yet…perhaps half of it. I sense that you are growing steadily but it will be some time till you are as strong as before…I estimate three years" said Mito with concern.

"I am strong enough, besides I have you…" he said.

Mito laid her head on his shoulder, causing him to encircle her in his embrace yet again.

Jiraiya went back to his note taking and Kushina watched her legendary son and his wife with mixed feelings.

Suddenly, and explosion rocked the ground. They saw a shinobi floating high above the ground and Iwa ninja poured out in their hundreds in four groups. Three were close, and one was quite a distance to the left…

"Kaa-san, ero-sennin and Kakashi-sensei you go and deal with three groups with all our our shinobi. Leave Onoki and that fourth division to us, I will teach that brat not to turn on Konoha…" said Naruto, wisdom and authority in his eyes.

They nodded rapidly. It was better than they had hoped for. Disappearing, they led the charge of the gathered Konoha shinobi and met Iwa with a thunderous crash.

He could go and wipe out the lot of them with Mokuton, but he did not really want to slaughter them to the last man unless they left him no other choice. Madara had always called him soft hearted, but that was just how he was.

No, only Onoki remembered the absolute power he had wielded with the Wood Release. These Iwa shinobi needed something they feared more than just fairy tales to confront them, if they were to be made to flee from conflict.

Naruto gathered his chakra, a shining silver aura manifesting around him. Mito too gathered her strength a rippling grey chakra forming around her.

The legendary couple looked at each other and disappeared towards battle.

….

Onoki watched the ensuing battle from high in the air. This was his chance to take out Konoha.

As expected, the sannin Jiraiya, the wife of the cursed Namikaze, and that Sharingan wielding nightmare were cutting through his forces like hot knife through butter.

He smiled grimly, Konoha's newest generation of shinobi were not battle tested. They made elementary mistakes and paid for it with death. His own shinobi were decimating the Konoha forces in return.

Two S-class ninja and one borderline S-class, however strong, could not stand up to two thousand highly trained war veterans. Let alone those newbies Konoha had sent out for it defence.

The three divisions were engaging Konoha's forces successfully and the fourth division was expected to encircle around them, and they would crush Konoha.

He saw the fourth division beginning to move to surround the Konoha shinobi, but they suddenly stopped. Why did they stop?

He floated downwards quite a bit, and saw something that surprised him to no end. A blonde boy, tall for his age, and a beautiful young woman in white face his legion of shinobi as if they did not have a care in the world.

Either these youth were very strong, or were just buying time. He decided to intervene only if things got bad for the fourth division. They still had time to execute the final manoeuvre.

….

Mito stood alongside her husband as they stared at the five hundred shinobi in front of him.

"Kakashi asked you not to show your true strength…only about S-class…how will you handle this…?"

Naruto drew his Wakizashi and held it to his side at an angle, reinforcing the blade with pure earth chakra and increasing its tensile strength tenfold.

"They fear a yellow flash…so they will fear me…"

He had mastered the use of _shunshin_ when he was but a boy. Dedicated long months only to it…it was short range and worked only by sight, but it would do for this battle.

"Mito-chan, defend me against long-range attacks. I would do it myself…but you know I must restrict my show of strength."

Mito nodded. "Go, Hashirama…"

Naruto nodded and disappeared with a yellow flash, and appeared in front of the Iwa ranks.

Then he began to slaughter them before they could even blink.

….

Onoki could hardly believe his eyes. Ranks upon ranks of his shinobi were falling like flies, not even able to react.

He strained his eyes, and saw something that chilled him to the bone. A flash of yellow moving across the stunned ranks, almost too fast to even spot. He was killing them with impunity…This had to stop. He was not as fast as the Namikaze butcher, but he was fast enough.

Pure white energy began gathering itself between his palms, shaping itself into a three dimensional petal.

This threat would be eliminated soon.

…

Kushina, Jiraiya and Kakashi were upon a small hill, watching the battle unfold. They had put up a barrier seal to recuperate and consider their next move.

Their teams were fighting well enough, but it was obvious they would have to retreat back to Konoha soon enough. These Iwa shinobi seemed handpicked…they were probably the top tier of Iwa's shinobi.

All of them were probably A-rank or high B-rank. Some were Iwa ANBU. That made it hard for them to kill their enemies. Kushina had fought many battles…but she had not faced an army of high level shinobi.

Iwa had staked much on its assault…

Kushina suddenly heard something that froze her heart and made Kakashi and Jiraiya turn towards the voice in disbelief.

"IT IS THE YELLOW FLASH OF KONOHA! RUN!"

They saw the division Naruto and Mito-sama had gone to confront running back to the main force helter-skelter. Behind the rapidly retreating battalion, she saw something amazing.

Barely discernible flashes of yellow, rapidly taking out the retreating shinobi of Iwa.

"Minato…" said Jiraiya in wonder.

Kushina looked heartbroken as her son flashed around rapidly, taking out his father's enemies. He was so fast…reminding her painfully of Minato.

_Minato, if only you could see our son…_

"Naruto is using their own fear against them…" said Kakashi with admiration. But he too was rattled at how much Naruto reminded him of his Sensei as he used the _shunshin._

Jiraiya pointed to a glowing white light above Naruto's general area.

"It's Onoki; he is using dust release against Naruto. He must be really scared by the reappearance of the Yellow flash to go that far so fast…"

Kushina looked very worried. "My baby…."

….

Mito saw her husband stop and resheathe his blade as he watched the remnants of the battalion run back to the main force. He had surprised her with his situational awareness, a legacy of this lifetime, she thought.

She followed the line of her husband's sight and saw Onoki preparing to launch Dust release.

_No you don't, Onoki._

Onoki thrust his hands toward Naruto.

"_Jinton: Genkai Hakuri no Jutsu!_"

A huge column of white light descended from Onoki's position in the skies towards Naruto, ripping through the air at an unbelievable speed.

Mito appeared next to her husband and slammed her palms together.

"**FUUINJUTSU: RYUSHI FIRUTASHIRU!"**

Naruto watched as his wife countered Onoki's attack with a particle filter seal. Her own innovation… her proficiency with seals really astounded him.

Onoki's white light just dissipated into shining embers falling harmlessly onto the floor.

Naruto looked at Mito and nodded with admiration for her as Onoki looked at them with indecision, and floated back to his own army.

"DISENGAGE!"

…

Kushina watched as Onoki's attack was dispersed by Mito-sama, and the Tsuchikage floated back to his own army ordering them to disengage.

The Konoha shinobi too disengaged, and within a short while the battle lines were formed once more, Konoha facing Iwa.

They were outnumbered two to one, and they could hold out from inside the village. Of all the times for Konoha to have so many of its shinobi out on missions…

She watched with relief as Naruto and Mito appeared next to Kakashi and Jiraiya. She went up to meet them…

"Onoki is forming up to attack again, we must retreat to Konoha. Our forces are wounded and weakened and the reserves inside the city will help us outlast a siege…"

"It is for the best; Kushina-san…Iwa has lost about five hundred of its own, and still has about one thousand fresh shinobi. We on the other hand are down to three hundred, all of us weary…"

Jiraiya and Naruto acquiesced as well, albeit reluctantly. It would not take long for Onoki to reform his forces and attack with unfamiliar tactics.

They passed the order.

….

Onoki watched with satisfaction as the Konoha shinobi ran back to their village, but he could not let them escape to their village. He did not come here to lay a siege…

"My fellow shinobi, watch as Konoha retreats! Do not fear the imitation yellow flash, as he is fleeing too! They must be at their limit! Do not let them escape to their hidey hole…"

His shinobi cheered, having reorganized. As one, they gave chase.

…..

Their forces were nearly through the gates and Kushina sighed with relief. Iwa was now within sight of them, roaring with anger and triumph the lot of them.

Naruto suddenly stumbled, falling upon his knees. Mito cried out and stopped too, appearing by his side.

Kushina joined them as well, seeing her son stumble. Jiraiya and Kakashi were watching worriedly from the battlements as the three stopped. The last of the perimeter guard was almost through…

"What's wrong, Hashirama? Iwa is almost upon us…unless you want to reveal our strength, we should go…" said Mito urgently.

Naruto stood up, and looked at Mito and then at Kushina with an expression of piercing sadness, tears flowing down his face.

They Iwa army was fully in view at the horizon…the trees in this area were sparse and it was almost full plateau. Suited for Iwa.

"What happened, Naruto? We have no time." asked Kushina urgently.

"Hiruzen is dead. Orochimaru is fleeing the village…his chakra feels damaged and diminished. But I could feel Hiruzen's life force snuffed out like a candle. He is gone…"

Kushina and Mito gasped.

Naruto was losing his expression of utter sadness, and it was being rapidly replaced with anger. As Hashirama he had lost a beloved student, but as Naruto he had lost the one man who had consoled him throughout his childhood. The one man who was always there for him..no matter what.

And they had taken him away. They had taken the one man who was dear to him in both lives, away…

If it were not for Iwa's invasion, then he could have easily helped Hiruzen defeat Orochimaru.

He faced the approaching invaders, and spoke to Mito.

"I could have protected him, if only these…_pests_…had not dared to attack Konoha…I will _slaughter them…."_, he said with absolute rage.

Mito looked alarmed. When Hashirama was angered, there was no stopping him. No one could stop him. Even Madara feared his anger…

"Mito-chan, take Kaa-san a safe distance away from me…I don't care about secrecy anymore…Those who attack Konoha without any provocation will be _erased_…"

Kushina was too shocked as Mito nodded and kissed her son on his cheek, whispering for him to take care.

She was grasped by the hand, and appeared next to Jiraiya and Kakashi in a series of _shunshin_, Mito dragging her.

"What is happening, Kushina-san, Mito-sama…why is Naruto out there alone?" asked Kakashi, concern upon his face.

The reserve Konoha shinobi were lining the walls, readying themselves for the siege.

Jiraiya, Kushina and Kakashi however were alternating their glances between Mito and Naruto.

"Hiruzen is dead…killed by Orochimaru…", the two males of the group gasped in grief.

"He is angered beyond measure…he blames Iwa for interfering. You three know just how much Hiruzen meant to _Naruto_ in this life…"

"How can he defeat so many shinobi? There are about a thousand of them out there, not to mention Onoki…" said Jiraiya, his worry showing.

Mito made a hand seal, creating a powerful barrier of silence around them.

"Watch…You have no idea of his true strength. He will show the world again why he was called 'God of Shinobi'. Iwa will pay…"

"He shouldn't reveal Mokuton…" said Kakashi.

"Would you rather be killed by Iwa than have my husband reveal his strength…?" asked Mito.

Kakashi had nothing to say to that. So he shut up.

They watched as the Iwa Nin rushed towards Naruto, intent on just obliterating him.

Naruto walked forward calmly, his previous rage dissolving into deadly focus. The faint silver sheen around his body exploded into a very bright rippling glow, tinged faintly with red.

"He is using a little of Kyuubi's chakra…" said Mito. "As if he were not strong enough already…"

The ground around Naruto started cracking and the pebbles on the ground were being crushed. The entire region felt his presence and anger.

The Iwa shinobi rushing towards him just stumbled and went on their Knees in their hundreds, unable to bear the power of the Shodai Hokage being unleashed.

Kushina watched open mouthed as her son subdued his enemies by presence and chakra alone. She felt the enormity of it as if it were the crack of doom…

The Konoha shinobi were also shivering in awe, staring at the boy they had believed to be a nuisance. What power…

"How powerful is he…?" asked Jiraiya, barely hiding his amazement. Kakashi looked stunned as he watched his student walk even closer to the Iwa army. They were still unable to move from the pressure…

A beam of pure white light shot at him from the skies again…Onoki was taking action but to no avail.

A massive hand of wood shot from the earth and swatted the Jutsu away as if it were a bothersome fly.

The Konoha shinobi seemed ready to faint. Some of the Iwa Shinobi did faint…

"_Mokuton", _whispers ran everywhere. Both among the defenders and attackers. The battlefield was now rumbling, Naruto's chakra escalating still.

The Iwa shinobi had thrown off Naruto's oppression and were preparing their own jutsus.

Naruto formed the serpent seal in preparation for his own.

With a massive roar, two hundred Iwa shinobi in the frontlines yelled out the name of their Jutsu, joined by Onoki who sent another dust release technique at Naruto.

A massive bolt of white energy hurtled again towards Naruto, this time accompanied by multiple jutsus of all the elements. The air was so bright with the techniques being unleashed that it was impossible to even see the Iwa army.

The Konoha shinobi gasped in terror as the torrent of Jutsu descended upon Naruto. Kushina uttered a silent prayer for her son, and Mito smiled.

"_Mokuton Hiijutsu: Jukai Koutan!"_

Thousands of Massive tree trunks exploded from the ground beyond Naruto, dispelling the torrent of Jutsu like a predator dispels from its sight a herd of prey.

The countless trees rushed towards the Iwa shinobi, their huge size and force of release crushing them, killing them. Their multiple earth walls were pierced through by the force of the wood release, their lava techniques too small and ineffective to stop the thousands of massive trees descending upon them.

Simultaneously a Rashoumon rose to intercept Onoki's attack, exploding to take the impact.

Naruto had stopped his technique and looked at the fleeing Iwa shinobi. They came here for a slaughter? Then he would give them it…

"_Mokuton: Mokuryuu no Jutsu!_"

An absolutely huge dragon of wood about a third of Konoha's size blasted from the ground, its creator leaping upon its head. It then took flight and hovered over the fleeing Iwa shinobi…

It then dove full force into the now fully retreating army, crushing them under its weight. Its swiping claws and flailing body destroyed entire battalions of the enemy, and none of their jutsu even left a scratch upon it.

Naruto scoffed. His wood dragon could even take a Bijuudama from Kurama and toss it back. Their weak jutsu would not work…

The remaining five hundred tried to scatter in all directions but it was in vain. Five more wood dragons were born out of the earth…encircling the invaders and hemming them up in a circle of huge radius.

…

The Konoha shinobi watched with reverence and downright worship as Naruto wielded their most sacred bloodline to rain destruction on the enemies of the village.

Kushina and Jiraiya watched with amazement as they saw the full power of the Mokuton being wielded for the first time in nearly a century.

"Is this the power of the Mokuton….?" Kushina asked faintly. Kakashi was watching as if he did not want to miss even a single instant of the spectacle.

"Not really. Hashirama can go far beyond this…" said Mito proudly. "He was called god of Shinobi for a reason."

Kushina dumbly looked back towards the now ending battle. Onoki was fleeing rapidly from her enraged son, taking who she assumed was his family with him.

The Iwa invaders were all but destroyed.

"_Mokuton: Kakujai Korin!_" Naruto yelled, and a dense forest sprouted within the encirclement of his dragons, startling the clamouring five hundred shinobi imprisoned within.

Hundreds upon hundreds of huge flowers grew, spitting their pollen into the air. The trapped shinobi inhaled the lethal pollen, dying instantly in the hundreds.

The circling wood dragons along with his own pounced upon the hundred survivors of the massacre.

These men stood no chance. They were simply torn apart by the six dragons.

Naruto looked around at the huge forest he had created and at the slaughtered bodies of the invaders in their hundreds with an impassive face.

It was over so fast…

They had to be destroyed but he still grieved for it, his anger forgotten. War's wastefulness…was beyond compare. He really hoped that Iwa's defeat would preserve the peace of Konoha…...

But the thousand he had slaughtered were loyal shinobi who had died for their village. They had to be returned to the earth…

"_Doton: Yusha no maiso!"_

….

Kushina watched as the dead everywhere in the plateau were swallowed up by the earth, their traces wiped clean.

Her son had just killed hundreds of enemies and buried them. Minato did not even compare to this kind of strength.

_You are indeed a god among shinobi, Hashirama-sama…_ thought Jiraiya, watching Naruto walk back with an immensely sad expression.

The gatekeepers Izumo and Kotetsu opened the gates with a deep bow. Naruto just entered wearily, and appeared in front of Kushina and Mito. Mito just ran up to him and hugged him hard, kissing him.

"You fought like a god, my husband…", she said proudly, looking at his face.

It seemed that most of the Konoha shinobi had not recognized the young Mito in all the turmoil. They all bowed deeply to Naruto, Kakashi and Jiraiya leading them, with nothing but awe and reverence on their faces.

Naruto bowed back deeply as well, leading to resounding cheers through Konoha.

"Let's go home, Mito-chan, Kaa-san. I trust you can handle the rest, ero-sennin…"

Jiraiya nodded. "Go home and rest for now, Gaki. You will doubtless be summoned later…"

Naruto nodded and disappeared with his wife and mother. He had a student and Hokage to mourn.

Stories spread through Konoha like wildfire of the defeat of Iwa by a new God of Shinobi wielding Mokuton again, reigniting the will of fire in its Shinobi.

They all stared together from the battlements at the huge forest that had been birthed during the battle and named it…

The forest of the god.

…..

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

**Hello again, dear readers.**

**Some reviewers seem to be having misconceptions about facts concerning Uzumaki Mito in my story. Let me address them systematically.**

**1. Some reviewers insist that Mito is too 'old' for Naruto. I explicitly mentioned several times in the story that Mito is now young and beautiful, owing to Orochimaru's greed for a powerful pawn. Do look up a young Uzumaki Mito in Google Images for a visual.**

**Mito was atleast fifty years older than Hashirama when she died. If you mean she is older in mind when she is reincarnated, consider this:**

**She converts her Edo-Tensei body into a living breathing one with her counter.(A reviewer is under the impression that she is still an Edo Tensei body. My mistake if i was not clear enough with my description,but I really think I was clear.)**

**Her young, living body also influences her mind. We all know how hormones and chemical balances work in the human anatomy. The younger returned Uzumaki Mito would have all the experience of her life, combined with the vitality and drive of an extraordinary seventeen year old Kunoichi.**

**So, that eliminates any worries of Mito being too old, in mind or body, for Naruto. Mito is now in a living breathing body. I assumed that was implied when I said she had returned to the living world, and when I said that she took her first breath.**

**Edo Tensei'd people do not need to breathe, for they are not of this world.**

******2.I had this reviewer who says Mito's characterization is not agreeable to him. **

**My friend, as of now Mito's character is not elaborated upon too much. We all expected Hashirama to be some sort of venerable god-like figure, but we were pleasantly surprised with his easygoing nature.**

**What I try to say is that Mito's character is open to interpretation and speculation as of now, and if you do not like my interpretation of her which i think is quite likely, I am sorry. I cannot satisfy everyone.**

**I hope that satisfies any and all Mito detractors of my story. I do try to make things as clear as possible in my story, and I apologize if I was too indirect with my metaphors. I will definitely try to correct myself in that case.  
**

**Enjoy the next update which will be up very soon.  
**

**Regards,**

**Karldin.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Thank you for the great response, my readers! **

**There will be no more annoying false chapters, so do not worry.**

**Enjoy this chapter, and know that I will be updating faster again.**

**Regards, **

**Karldin.**

CHAPTER 8

"Kaa-san…" Naruto said sadly watching his mother face away from him. He could feel her turbulent emotions, anger, and overwhelming fear. Mito was also looking at his mother solemnly.

Kushina seemed to be releasing the shock and horror she had suppressed when Naruto had taken on an army of strong shinobi singlehandedly.

She turned to him.

"Naruto, do you…do you have _any _idea what I have gone through to keep you safe? You told me you were a father once…try, just try to put yourself in my current situation. How could you scare me like that, taking on an entire elite army _alone_? You _know_ what it feels like for a parent to see their child facing what they think is an imminent death…"

Naruto moved to her and engulfed her in a hug, a poignant expression on his face. The loss of Hiruzen, the misery of his mother who had thought she would see him die and his wholesale slaughter of the Iwa shinobi were weighing upon his soul.

He was _never _this quick to anger as Senju Hashirama. His twin lives were merging slowly, creating someone entirely new.

He had to be wary of himself. There was no doubt that his actions today were necessary, but there was also no doubt that he had let his emotions overcome him. He had thought he was long past that, but it seemed he still had issues in that regard.

He had very few people whom he saw as family in this life, and losing one of them had made him let his power loose. He had to be calmer….

"Kaa-san, I understand … and I am so sorry. I had just lost my student Hiruzen, who was also the one man who was truly there for me during my darkest years. I am sorry…"

"You may be the great Shodai Hokage reborn, Naruto, but I still see you as the adorable little boy who cried for his stuffed fox at night…please, please do not do such things ever again without me. I have only you left whom I can call my own, my blood…my son. I will die if I lose you…"Kushina said into his shoulder in a small voice, her pain and anguish apparent.

Naruto's blood ran cold at the thought of his mother dying. "I promise…"

He could feel the intensity of his mother's emotions receding somewhat.

"Don't forget me, Kushina-chan. I will be there with my husband as a part of our family. We are the last of the Uzumaki…"

Kushina looked at Mito, as the three of them sat together on the sofa. Naruto gathered Mito in his arms, the great Kunoichi cuddling into her husband.

"Mito-sama, how are you so young again? If not for my familiarity with your chakra, I could never have recognized you…I never knew you to be so beautiful…"

Mito blushed faintly, and Naruto got stars in his eyes looking once more at his stunning wife. Even Madara had acknowledged her beauty, and his old friend had developed a large hatred for anything to do with the Senju by then.

"Thank you, Kushina-chan…As for your question, I think Orochimaru has understood the Edo Tensei in an unusual way, and used it to bring me back in my seventeen year old body. I was extremely strong as I am now…almost reaching my prime. My physical energy and chakra used to be and currently is almost as much as Hashirama has now…"

Kushina laughed sadly.

"I suppose we owe Orochimaru for this, don't we? He brought you back to us…back to my son. Naruto needs someone from his past to help him reconcile completely and support him like a lover. We should be grateful to Kami…"

Naruto nodded. Extreme sadness coursed through his mind as he remembered the Sandaime from both his lives.

"True, Kaa-san. We will need to attend Hiruzen's funeral tomorrow, though. Then we will have to answer to the village council…they will want to put me under their thumb after seeing Mokuton once more…"

Mito looked annoyed.

"No they won't. Have you forgotten the relationship Uzumaki have with Konoha? You are now an Uzumaki. Unless you take your father's name, which Kushina tells me is highly regarded in Konoha, the council will have little hold on you…", she said.

"So you will head the Uzumaki clan then, Mito-sama..?" Kushina asked curiously.

"Yes. I am the eldest Uzumaki alive after all, and Konoha will serve as an excellent rallying point for the new Uzumaki clan. The village owes us…"

"What is owed will be repaid in full, Mito-chan. I will ensure that…" Naruto assured her. Mito just laid her head on his shoulder and Kushina stood up tiredly.

"I am going to sleep, Naruto. It has been a long day…We will have an even longer one tomorrow. Good night, Mito-sama, Naruto…"

"Good Night, Kaa-san…" said Naruto. A night's sleep would lessen his piercing grief and allow him to come to terms slowly with the Old Man's death and his own actions.

….

Rain began to fall, and it seemed Konoha itself was weeping for its lost Hokage.

Sasuke walked up to the Sandaime and placed a single white flower in front of his framed portrait. He was the last.

Konoha's entire shinobi force had turned up to attend Sarutobi Hiruzen's funeral. The Hokage had evidently fought the Orochimaru, nearly defeating him.

They had said that Orochimaru was now gravely injured and had gone back to recuperate from his incapacitation. He watched as Naruto stood alongside Kushina-san, and some pretty red haired woman whom he seemed to have picked up somewhere.

They were holding hands. Sasuke felt rather out of character, wanting to tease his friend mercilessly. But he saw the sadness on Naruto's face and concluded that he would have a tree shoved through him if he did that.

His mission had ended in failure. He had successfully incapacitated Gaara's teammates, but Jounin from Suna had soon appeared to extract them from Konoha. It seemed as if Temari and Kankurou held some rank in the hierarchy of Suna.

He and the other rookies had gathered to prepare for the siege, and they had seen what Naruto had done. He had _singlehandedly _destroyed the invading force and only looked moderately tired after doing it.

_After_ forcing the Tsuchikage to flee. The power he had exhibited…The village bowed to Naruto with reverence and looked upon him as if he was their deliverance.

Where he walked, the villagers seemed to straighten and their faces would change to one of blazing determination and pride.

It was as if Naruto had ignited a flame in the village that refused to be extinguished. As he fought Konoha's enemies, its Shinobi had changed.

His weariness after the battle had seemed only mental and emotional, rather than physical. It just amazed Sasuke to think how Naruto could contain that much power.

Power to wipe out armies.

He had to step up his training if he were to ever catch up with Naruto. He had been slacking off, even if he progressed well with the _shunshin_.

He had to speak to Naruto, get him to help with his training.

He watched as ANBU appeared in front of Naruto, Kushina-san, and the pretty woman and they all disappeared in a _shunshin_.

Oh, well. He would talk to him later….

**KONOHA'S COUNCIL ROOM**

Naruto faced the council of Konoha, congregated fully. On the left side sat the Shinobi consisting of the clan heads.

Inuzuka, Hyuuga, Nara, Akimichi…to name a few.

He could see Homura, Koharu and Danzo staring at Mito with amazement and at him with apprehension.

Hiruzen's seat was empty and it brought him a deep pang of sadness. He had been told by the ANBU witness of Hiruzen's actions. He felt proud of the Hokage, proud at his sacrifice and sad at its necessity. To beat Tobirama and Orochimaru at his age…

He would honour Hiruzen's sacrifice.

"Let us start this council with the most pressing matter at this moment. Uzumaki Naruto, step forward." Said Homura in an authoritative voice.

Naruto just sighed and went up to stand in front of the council.

"We have many matters to attend to after yesterday's invasion, and we cannot waste time. Thus we will go directly to the issue. Naruto-san, you destroyed those barbaric Iwa shinobi with the sacred bloodline, _Mokuton_.", here Homura and Koharu stared at him with something akin to respect. Danzo just stared at him blankly.

"You have the utmost gratitude of your fellow shinobi and Konoha as a whole for defending us in our time of need. After your actions at the field of battle, the council of Konoha has seen fit to appoint you to the rank of Jounin. This matter is not open for discussion.", stated Homura firmly.

The shinobi in the room were giving Naruto looks of respect and awe, inclining their heads in his direction. Some bowed.

The clan heads were giving sour glances to the civilian side at this statement.

What had happened to the smooth working of this village? Did it really always need _me_ to prosper, thought Naruto with frustration.

Was it only his strength that had held his shinobi together? He had for the longest time thought it was something else…he had thought it was his ideals. Seeing Homura's manoeuvring, feeling all their deplorable emotions in the air made him sick.

He wanted out.

The civilian council were quite predictably shouting their objections. Morons…

"Silence. The civilians have _no_ say in the workings of the shinobi hierarchy. It was only the Shodai's kindness that allowed nuisances like you in this room in the first place…", came Hyuuga Hiashi's cutting voice. The civilian council members just froze, unable to bear the killing intent.

Naruto agreed wholeheartedly. His kindness to the civilian population as Hashirama had come back to annoy him…

"Indeed. We have received reports from our ANBU eyewitnesses that Mito-sama was resurrected by Orochimaru…"

Mito stepped forward.

"Indeed I was. Orochimaru resurrected me in this form, and I was able to break free of his bindings and return to a human body. I am Uzumaki Mito."

The council seemed stunned, only the three elders even seeing the Mito they had known in the beautiful woman in front of them.

"This is indeed Mito-sama, her chakra still burns bright." said Koharu. Her reputation as a sensor was once widely known throughout the nations.

The civilians were open mouthed with their surprise. They kept on whispering, unable to keep up with the astronomical changes introduced to Konoha after the battle.

"We are glad to see you alive and young once more, Mito-sama. So glad…" said Homura in what really appeared to be happiness, while the clan heads bowed in respect to the Kunoichi. Koharu too looked elated, but Naruto was intrigued with Danzo.

He extended his sense towards the bandaged shinobi…and almost cried out in surprise. Danzo's emotions felt regretful and cold at the same time, but that was not the point.

He could feel chakras in Danzo that should not coexist. A trace of his own chakra, and…the chakra of multiple Sharingan.

What had Danzo been doing? How far had he fallen, to have multiple Sharingan implanted upon his arm, and Senju Hashirama's cells into his body?

Something was very wrong with the village. If the council that he had appointed so long ago was so deeply corrupt, it was a wonder that Konoha was still standing.

Already he could feel a change in the village. The warmth and loyalty that used to dominate the village during his reign were gone, leaving only essential kindness and a certain loyalty towards the organization.

These three were the organization. They had made themselves centres of power in Konoha, despite his teachings that the Hokage and the councils only lived to serve the shinobi, and were the first among equals.

He had to play this carefully. He wresting control of the village from the council would not go well, it would only plant the seeds for chaos.

As much as he hated what the village had become he had to play by the rules. Rules he himself had created. It was the better choice…

Danzo could wait.

Anyway, he was broken from his pondering as Mito spoke.

"It is good to be back. Hashirama would want me to keep his legacy safe and shining…"

Naruto grinned.

"…so I will be the head of the Uzumaki clan in Konoha from here on. It is my right as the oldest surviving Uzumaki in the village. My clan will no longer be unrepresented…"

The three elders nodded, as did the rest of the council. It was only right.

Koharu took the floor. "We are glad that this matter is settled. We would like to accord Uzumaki Naruto a great honour and induct him into the Council guard, the elite shinobi that is under our direct command. It often requires years of skill and experience to gain membership. What do you say, Naruto-san?"

_They believe me a kid. A powerful one, but a kid nonetheless. What a bad play to have my strength…_

"It is not my choice, Koharu-san. I must consult my clan head. What say you, Mito-san, should I enter the great 'council guard'?" he asked.

"My clansmen shall be affiliated to Konoha and Uzumaki alone. No other affiliations, as there are precious few of us to spare. This is my final decision…" Mito said firmly.

The elders looked rather sour. But the clan heads seemed rather happy, Naruto had avoided the clutches of the elders for now, and they could somehow ally themselves with him.

The entire council were now staring at Naruto like a hungry pack of wolves.

_They care so much about my power, forgetting so easily that we were invaded on two fronts. I had to win the battle, and Hiruzen defeated Orochimaru. Konoha needs to change…._

Mito now stood tall, her and Kushina flanking a depressed Naruto on both sides.

"Any and all offers to the Uzumaki clan, from marriage to alliances should be made through _me_. Any Kunoichi forcing themselves upon Uzumaki Naruto for any reason whatsoever…shall be dealt with by me personally", she said with an ice cold voice.

_Jealous are you, Mito-chan? Do you actually believe I would even look at any other woman when I have you at my side?_

The council sighed as one. With Naruto under the protection of Mito herself as clan head, their power plays for him were futile. For now, at least.

The three elders looked a bit angry, but the session was resumed by Homura once more.

"We have lost our Hokage Hiruzen to Orochimaru's attack. Uzumaki Naruto's show of strength will incite the alarm of all the villages in the land. We need a new Hokage to guide us during these turbulent times. I nominate Jiraiya...", said Homura.

Jiraiya appeared out of nowhere, startling the council.

"Don't do that, Jiraiya-sensei!" Kushina scolded him.

Jiraiya waved it off, staring at the council.

"That job is not for me. I have another job, and it cannot have me sitting stationary here in Konoha…"

"You were the candidate endorsed by Hiruzen, there is no one else suitable."

"There is one, actually. I am not the only remaining Sannin, barring Orochimaru…"

_Tsunade?_ thought Naruto. That child had gone off the grid, supposedly drowning in her own miseries. Her become the Hokage, when she had enough ghosts of her own to deal with. What was ero-sennin thinking?

He would love to see the little girl once more, though.

Jiraiya gave him a glance, as if he knew what was on his mind and signalled him to wait.

"You speak of Tsunade-sama. She cannot be found at we need a leader fast…"

A civilian tried to butt in, "how about Kushina-sama? she has strong ties with the Hokage of Konoha and is strong enough."

Kushina snorted. "No way. I will not be Hokage as I have many personal commitments…"

The council seemed annoyed by this. "Personal commitments? You would forsake Konoha for such a thing?" questioned Hiashi.

Kushina looked at Naruto who nodded minutely. They would know sooner or later.

"I have to be there for my husband's legacy, my son, Uzumaki Naruto. I will not give up my son for anything. So rule me out."

"Your _son_? He is the son of Yondaime! What is going on here?" questioned Chouza in amazement. They seemed stunned, though the elders seemed resigned.

Kushina sighed, as did Mito and Naruto. This would be a long sitting.

….

Orochimaru screamed in pain as Kabuto dressed his arms in a salve and bandages.

Damn old geezer…he hoped the Sandaime would suffer for an eternity within the death god. He could not use techniques any more…_curse_ that old man!

"My plan, all in ruins thanks to that annoying Kyuubi Jinchuuriki and the old man…my cursed seal on Sasuke will be removed eventually by Mito. I am back to square one…HOW DARE HE?", yelled Orochimaru in anger.

"Orochimaru-sama…you were facing strong opponents. The _shinobi no kami_, Sarutobi Hiruzen was no mere ninja. The rumours about Naruto-kun portray him as someone to be feared as much as or more than the Yondaime…"

Orochimaru snarled.

"Do not patronize me, Kabuto! I failed at getting the Sharingan twice and I have no chance whatsoever of getting the Mokuton! Itachi and Naruto-kun are both too strong for me. We need to get Sasuke-kun, and soon…"

"But Orochimaru-sama, we would have no chance against the ones who are in Konoha right now…"

"I know that…aaahh…I know…which is why, after I get my arms healed, we will be re-joining a certain organization. They can be of use to me once more…"

Kabuto's eyes widened.

….

"….do you agree to these terms, A-dono?" questioned the Godaime Mizukage, Terumi Mei.

She was an extremely beautiful woman with a stunningly proportioned body, not to mention her reputation as a Kunoichi. She was to be feared as a Kage…defeating the Sanbi Jinchuuriki and a Kage to boot in combat was no mean feat.

A considered the woman in front of him and considered her treaty. It would absolve Kumo from harm for quite some time, allowing him to accelerate his own plans.

Two shinobi appeared in the room abruptly, bending down to whisper a message in the ears of each Kage. The two leaders listened for quite some time, their eyebrows climbing higher and higher…and their jaws dropping.

A looked at Mei.

"I wager we heard essentially the same news. To think that Onoki himself and his personal army were defeated by that boy…"

Mei looked intrigued. "He is a very strong shinobi, Uzumaki Naruto. To think he possesses the Mokuton and on such a scale…"

A nodded with wonder. The message had startled him a lot. Yugito had been right. Her prompt message had allowed him to be prepared for this eventuality.

It seemed that Naruto was becoming strong with the Mokuton. Too strong. The balance of power in the nations would be shifting with this…

He was already being called the God of Shinobi, inheriting the title from Hiruzen. He had earned it on the field of battle, defeating a Kage and his army simultaneously.

He owed Yugito. To have that power directed against his village would be disastrous….

Mei, though, was secretly happy. _So that is your son, Kushina-san. It seems that the Namikaze family is the true strength of Konoha. I need to meet your Naruto, as fast as possible…_

Both Kage resumed their discussion, plans whirling in their minds after hearing the new developments.

…..

"_Did you speak to Matatabi, Kurama?"_ asked Naruto as he walked to the edge of the village with Sasuke, Jiraiya and his family accompanying him.

The council had accepted him being Namikaze Minato's son after a great deal of shouting. But he had refused his father's name formally for now, as he needed the political protection of the Uzumaki clan.

Many shinobi already considered him Namikaze Naruto, and had taken to calling him that. News of his heritage had spread among Konoha's shinobi, and they already accepted him as Minato's son.

"**I did, Hashirama. She told me that Jinchuuriki in Kumo are treated reasonably, except that their training is a little tough. Her Jinchuuriki was trained in very harsh conditions…and one more thing, the Hachibi, Gyuuki, is there with his Jinchuuriki. He is rather strong, if a bit boring…"**

Naruto thought about it. The Niibi Jinchuuriki had claimed Gaara as her capture, taking him to Kumo. The treaty with Hiruzen had allowed it, unfortunately.

From what he heard from Kurama, the Ichibi Jinchuuriki would surely have a better life in Kumo.

He wondered what was happening in Suna; their lack of a leader had to have created a vacuum in power.

Mito put up the silence seals.

"Be careful, Sasuke-kun, Naruto. Tsunade is really short tempered…", Kushina said to her son and godson.

"Now, Now…don't worry Kushina. I will be there with them…"

Mito and Kushina looked sceptical.

"Somehow that does not reassure me, Jiraiya-sensei…", said Kushina.

Mito got a dangerous look in her eye. "If you turn my husband into a pervert, Jiraiya-kun, there will be hell to pay…"

Naruto and Sasuke looked on, amused, as Jiraiya backpedalled fast from the two Kunoichi, waving his hands frantically.

"No…No…I would never!"

The two looked satisfied. Sasuke proceeded onward, stepping out of the silence barrier's range. Convenient.

"Mito-chan, don't worry about me. Tsunade is acting like a child…I'll get her back, don't worry. You know how I can convince her to do anything, she _idolizes_ me…", said Naruto happily.

"You spoil her too much, Hashirama. You will tell her, then?" asked Mito. Kushina and Jiraiya were paying attention.

"Yes. She deserves to know she has family left in this world still. I won't tell her right away, though…."

Kushina and Mito nodded.

"Be careful, Naruto…you will be targeted by multiple shinobi after you showed your prowess at the battle. I know who you are, but still…."

"Don't worry, Kaa-san! They'll be toast!" declared Naruto.

Mito embraced him.

"Hashirama, listen to your mother. There will always be someone strong enough to challenge you. Come back soon…with Tsunade."

Naruto kissed her softly on the cheek.

"Of course! Bye, Kaa-san! Mito-chan! Come on, ero-sennin let us get to Sasuke before he gets too far away…"

Jiraiya and Naruto ran after Sasuke, the two Uzumaki women watching them.

….

In a cave far from Konoha, upon the fingers of a massive statue with multiple eyes, stood projections of nine shinobi. All of them wearing black cloaks with red clouds.

"Why are we gathered again so soon? I have bounties to collect…" said the deep voice of a man with a mask on him.

A silver haired man with a large scythe laughed madly.

"Leader-sama, this job with Akatsuki is sacred! The number of people I have sacrificed to Jashin-sama…It is Jashin-sama's grace that I have such a purpose!"

The man in the centre spoke at last, and his eyes were strange. They were a dull purple in colour, with a ripple like pattern spreading over the eyeballs.

"Quiet, Hidan. We have extremely important news that affects our plans. Tell them, Zetsu…"

A plant like being with half black and half white skin divided vertically spoke.

"_It appears that Orochimaru attempted an invasion of Konoha during the Chuunin Exams. He was able to kill the Sandaime Hokage and was invaded the village with Oto and Suna…_", said the white half of Zetsu, but was interrupted by black Zetsu.

**_"But it appears as if the village knew of his plans and defended itself well. But Orochimaru used Edo Tensei to bring back Uzumaki Mito at full strength. He underestimated her…"_**

Sharingan eyes widened, and the other shinobi began to curse softly.

"I can deal with Uzumaki Mito if necessary. But we will avoid confrontation with her till absolutely needed. Proceed, Zetsu", ordered the leader.

_"But that is the least of our worries. The Ichibi Jinchuuriki then went haywire, but the Niibi Jinchuuriki stopped him. They fought in their tailed beast forms…"_

A grotesquely hunched form with a facemask asked, "Did that not destroy the village? Orochimaru won it seems…"

**_"No, Sasori. Uzumaki Naruto contained both bijuu… with a prison of Mokuton…"_**

Their reactions were instantaneous.

"Impossible…"

"To confine the bijuu…it is the Shodai Hokage's strength…"

"Mokuton, of all things…"

"Jashin-sama! He will be your sacrifice…"

"What!"

"Silence", ordered Pain. "Listen first. Continue, Zetsu…"

"_That is not the whole story. He then left the third to deal with the snake,and then accompanied Mito to an unknown location._

_After which..__**Iwa attacked in force, about two thousand of their strongest, under Onoki's command."**_

Eyes widened everywhere.

"Oh yeah, I bet the old man got them right…his Dust release is true art! An explosive masterpiece!" a blonde and tall young man shouted.

"_I'm sure it is…Deidara…The Kyuubi Jinchuuriki confronted them and…"_

Zetsu proceeded to describe in detail what the battle had entailed. There was absolute silence when he finished.

_Only Onoki and his family had left alive._

And then…

"Itachi, the Kyuubi is your job, yours and Kisame's too bad you can't capture him…he is too strong for you! We _know_ he's stronger than you, don't we Kisame?" laughed Deidara.

Kisame snarled at Deidara.

"The techniques he used are Hashirama's own techniques and it seems like he possesses the might and skill of the Shodai himself in battle. This will make his capture difficult, Pain…" Itachi said.

"**_I know of Hashirama's strength, and that boy has it. He created several square miles of forest with little effort, and he looked only minimally tired after the battle. He is extremely strong, and is growing stronger steadily. At this rate he will reach Hashirama's strength in a few years…"_**, said black Zetsu.

Pain spoke.

"He cannot be allowed to grow stronger. Currently, I believe none of you with the exception of me or Itachi can face him in battle and live. If he grows any more powerful he will be a major hindrance to our plan…"

Pain surveyed the members of Akatsuki, his _Rinnegan_ fixing upon Itachi's Sharingan.

"We must act now to secure the plan's execution. Listen to your orders…"

…

Kakashi strolled down the road, accompanied by his long time friends and colleagues Asuma and Kurenai.

"Kakashi, have you visited the new forest?"

Kakashi shook his head.

"No, not really. Is that where you are going?" he looked at Asuma, observing his body language.

"Knew you had it in you…Asuma." He said lazily.

Asuma looked at him with a light blush, with Kurenai staring quizzically at the two of them.

"Ohayo, Kakashi-sensei!"

Kakashi turned and spotted Sakura waving at him, carrying what appeared to be a basket of Ohagi.

"Ohayo, Sakura. Searching for your teammates, huh?"

"Yes, Do you know where either one of them are Kakashi sensei? I searched their apartment but there was no one…I just wanted to spend some time with Sasuke-kun and Naruto…the invasion seems to have affected them both…"

Kakashi wondered, along with Asuma and Kurenai. Of course, Naruto would have had a hard time dealing with his actions.

_Even if he is the Shodai, there is a part of him that is as innocent as a pure child. He must be tortured by his part in the battle, but he hides it well…or deals well with it._

"I think they are on a mission with Jiraiya-sama, aren't they Kakashi?"

Kakashi nodded. Sakura sighed, "Oh. I see. I wanted to speak to them both…"

Something seemed to be running through her mind with the speed of Namikaze Minato.

"Kakashi-sensei, will you train me? I have no wish to be left behind by them…"

Kakashi nodded again. Suddenly he saw something, something that put him on edge. Two men wearing black cloaks with red clouds, mixing into the crowd.

_Dangerous, they are Akatsuki. Jiraiya-sama…your fears were true. I need to follow them..._

He made imperceptible signs to Asuma and Kurenai, who nodded. They shot off fast.

….

The two Akatsuki stopped in front of what the villagers had begun to call, 'The forest of the God'.

The forest was huge. The trees were so massive and dense but it still felt natural. The sunlight hardly filtered through, providing just adequate light.

The shorter of the two took off his hat.

"Come out, Asuma-san, Kurenai-san. I can sense you hiding…"

The larger man too took off his hat.

"It seems you are hated in this village, Itachi-san…"

The two Jounin appeared behind the Akatsuki.

"Uchiha Itachi. You certainly have a lot of gall, coming back to the scene of the crime. Why are you here…?"

Uchiha Itachi and his partner turned, revealing their features. His partner was pale blue skinned, spiked hair and looking like a shark.

"I have no wish to fight you two. Why we are here…is our business. Just know that we are here on orders…"

"Orders...well, be that as it may, you are both wanted Shinobi of the highest priority. S-class missing Nin. You won't leave here alive, Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame." Said Asuma grimly.

"Oh..you know me too, I'm honoured. Shall I kill them, Itachi-san?"

Itachi considered, and replied.

"Be quick about it, Kisame. We have our orders…"

….

Sakura walked towards that forest Naruto had created at a brisk walk. She had forgotten to give the Ohagi to be given to Kakashi-sensei.

She had heard Kurenai-sensei saying they were coming to visit the forest for the first time. That forest was becoming a kind of shrine for the Konoha Shinobi, only after a day.

She passed through the gates of Konoha, greeting Izumo briefly, and ran for the Forest of God. Her mother would be irritated if she were late…

She entered the forest through a convenient path that Naruto had created before leaving.

What? What were those sounds, it was Kunai clashing! She rushed in that direction when she heard her sensei's voice…

"_Doton: Doryuuheki!"_

She saw Kakashi, Asuma and Kurenai all facing two men in black robes, with red clouds on them.

Sasuke-kun!

….No, it was not him. It looked like an older verison of him. Then it had to be…

Uchiha Itachi! And the other blue man fit Naruto's description of the shinobi he had fought at Wave, Hoshigaki Kisame!

"SENSEI!"

…..

Kakashi turned hastily at the sound of Sakura's voice. This was no place for a Genin! Why was she here..?

"Sakura, What are you doing here? Leave, NOW!" Kurenai yelled.

Sakura seemed frozen, unable to take her eyes off Itachi's face. Kakashi cursed. Of all the times for Sakura's obsession with anything Sasuke to get in the way!

Itachi appeared in front of Sakura, looking deep into her eyes. The pink haired girl just fell in a heap.

"We are taking the girl, Kisame!"

Itachi appeared next to Kisame, Sakura slung over his shoulders.

Kakashi was absolutely angered. Sakura had nothing to do with this. Unless…oh no, Naruto! They were aiming for Naruto!

"Itachi, leave Sakura and go. Or else…"

Itachi paused, looking at Kakashi. Asuma and Kurenai were exhausted from their battle, only the copy ninja was fit to fight.

"Do not make threats you cannot back, Kakashi-san…this is necessary. I will not hold back if you continue…"

Kakashi did not answer, and unveiled his Sharingan.

"Oho, a Sharingan! Itachi-san, we have to deal with him here and now! The girl will not be secure in a fight!", said Kisame ferally.

Itachi nodded infinitesimally. He turned his stoic face upon Kakashi, and his Sharingan morphed into a pinwheel making the Jounin gasp.

_Mangekyou Sharingan._

"Your eye cannot match mine, Kakashi-san. I am the true heir of the Sharingan; they called me the most powerful Uchiha since Madara. I will show you…my visual prowess…"

Kisame was grinning.

"Don't look into his eyes!" said Kakashi sharply. Asuma and Kurenai averted their faces.

"True…Sharingan can resist my Mangekyou a little, but you are no Uchiha, Kakashi-san…._Tsukuyomi!"_

Kakashi was transported into a bleak world with a red moon and clouds moving rapidly, and he was lashed to a cross.

Itachi stood in front of him with a bared Katana.

"This is the world of Tsukuyomi, Kakashi-san. The most powerful Genjutsu…I can bend space and time to my will here. You will feel pain for three days."

Kakashi felt pure pain rage through him, and he cried out.

"AAAHH!"

"72 hours 59 minutes and 30 seconds to go…"

Kakashi screamed out again and again, being stabbed by multiple Katana on all sides.

Faintly, he remembered a conversation he had with Naruto this morning…

_"Kakashi, do you know you have the Mangekyou Sharingan?"_

_ "I knew you would sense it, having fought so many Uchiha…No, Naruto, it is not that. I got it after watching my teammate die…" said Kakashi._

_Naruto nodded sadly. "I am so sorry, Kakashi. But remember, that eye you possess has great power. I do not presume to advise you, but in my experience…a weapon not used is a weapon wasted. I know you risk blindness with its excessive use…but do use it very occasionally. You must be familiar with it in case a dire situation arises…"_

_Kakashi shook his head._

_"It is not that I do not want to use it, Naruto. It is simply that after one use, I tend to fall in exhaustion. I am no Uchiha…that, and no opponent I have met warrants the use of that eye."_

_Naruto looked sharply at him. "Uchiha Itachi possesses the Mangekyou as well, and if you ever meet him, remember: You can match one Mangekyou with only another Mangekyou…unless you are so strong that Doujutsu becomes irrelevant. Do not hesitate to use it in such situations…"_

_Kakashi considered deeply, and then nodded._

_"Thank you for the warning, Naruto. I will be sure to keep that in mind…"_

_Naruto nodded and shot off._

Kurenai and Asuma watched as Kakashi stared into Itachi's eyes, and began to slump.

Suddenly Itachi slumped as well, Sakura nearly slipping off with the motion. Then he straightened up with great effort, staring at Kakashi with unbridled surprise.

Kakashi asked in a hoarse voice, "Your organization…it is called Akatsuki is it not? You plan to take Naruto and all the other Jinchuuriki…"

Itachi looked tired as well, but a lot more surprised than tired. Kisame was staring at Kakashi with wide eyes.

"You must not be allowed to live if you have _Mangekyou Sharingan _and have this much knowledge, Kakashi-san…"

Itachi laid Sakura on the water gently, and stared at Kakashi with his eyes, the pinwheel formation not fading.

Kakashi too stared back with his own single _Mangekyou,_ preparing for the battle he feared he could not win.

Itachi's left eye bled.

"_Amaterasu!"_

_"Kamui!"_

A torrent of black fire hotter than the flames of the sun materialized in front of Kakashi instantly, only to be swallowed up by what seemed a spiralling distortion of space-time.

The rest of the Ninja stared amazed at the sheer power of the techniques used. Kakashi fell on to the water unconscious, and at the same time Itachi and Kisame flew back as if kicked.

Maito Gai, the noble blue beast of Konoha stood in front of the Konoha Jounin, holding Sakura.

"Kurenai, take Kakashi and Sakura-san back to Konoha. Asuma and I will fight them until ANBU arrives!"

"Let's leave, Kisame! We did not come here to start a fight…let's go!"

The two Akatsuki disappeared, the Konoha Jounin heaving a sigh of relief.

"Kakashi needs immediate medical attention, as does Sakura. Let's go!"

…..

Orochimaru stared at the town. So unassuming it was, so sleepy.

"Is this the place, Kabuto? Is this where my old teammate now wastes away?"

Kabuto nodded.

"Yes, Orochimaru-sama. Our spies have confirmed it. This is where Tsunade-sama now resides with her apprentice…"

Orochimaru licked his lips with his creepily long tongue.

"It's time for me to reunite with my old teammate, Kabuto. Let's see if Tsunade is as helpful as she was in the old days…"

Kabuto smirked.


	9. Chapter 9

**Thank you for your encouragement, and enjoy the story!**

**Regards,**

**Karldin.**

CHAPTER 9

Jiraiya and Naruto walked alone, leaving Sasuke in the clearing they had adopted for a training ground. Sasuke was really giving his all to the new fire technique Jiraiya had taught him.

_He still has to teach me the Grand Fireball_, thought Naruto. Sasuke had learnt _shunshin_ from him, and had progressed rapidly with that technique.

Naruto did not really need the fire technique, but he thought it would be prudent to have at least one fire technique in his arsenal.

"Do you want to learn a technique of the Yondaime, Naruto?"

Naruto turned fast to him, excitement on his face.

"You mean the _Hiraishin no Jutsu?_"

Jiraiya laughed. "No, not that one. I do know the theory behind it, but the seals are customized so well that it can be used only by those with Minato's blood in them. It _is _a very powerful technique…"

Naruto looked a bit disappointed. Any theory behind the working of the technique would be of little use, until he had the exact seal array and understood it to the fullest extent.

He really doubted if Minato had left the seal array scroll lying around. He had to speak to his mother.

"No, Naruto. I will show you the _Rasengan_. It is an A-rank technique that was deadly when used in conjunction with _Hiraishin_. The terror your father inspired with this is…legendary."

Naruto was really excited. A new technique! His Mokuton, though it felt extremely natural and peaceful, was very familiar to him. Second nature. He had not had the joy of learning a new technique as Hashirama for a long time now.

"Show me, ero-sennin!"

Jiraiya adopted a deadpan look, holding out his hand.

"Money…."

A tic mark appeared on Naruto's face. Really, he had to pay to learn his own father's technique? He stared at Jiraiya with a cold look.

"_Mokuton…."_

Jiraiya waved his hands fast. "Ok, ok….no need to get excited. Watch carefully Naruto, with both eyes and sense."

Naruto nodded, satisfied.

Pure chakra began rotating in Jiraiya's hand, contained into a sphere. The chakra seemed to be chaotic, thought Naruto.

He concentrated hard, both upon the technique and Jiraiya funnelling his chakra to make the technique work.

_Turbulence…._

Turbulence. That was the essence of his father's technique. The powerful chakra being moved in chaotic rotations, and being contained into a sphere…

_THAT'S IT!_

Jiraiya stopped his technique, looking expectantly at Naruto. The blue ball of chakra winked out of existence.

"Silence barrier, ero-sennin…"

Jiraiya nodded. Naruto looked at Jiraiya with wonder in his eyes, once they were secure.

"That is a beautiful technique; my father was indeed a genius."

Jiraiya looked closely at Naruto. "You look like you are familiar with the _Rasengan_."

"I have seen something very similar to it, but on an unimaginably larger scale. To mimic that technique…"

"What technique, Naruto?"

Naruto looked at Jiraiya sharply.

"_Bijuudama._ The ultimate attack of the Bijuu, causing massive destruction. The Nine Tails could even penetrate _my_ defence, even when I used the Gojuu Rashoumon…"

Jiraiya looked fascinated. Here was someone relating legend, someone who was legend himself.

"Was it during your fight with…Uchiha Madara?"

Now Naruto looked sad, thinking about his long gone friend. He had tried so hard to save him…Madara had been consumed with hatred. He wouldn't listen.

"Yes…Madara. We used to be so strong, the two of us. No village daredto attack Konoha with the two of us standing to defend it. Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama, closer than brothers, stronger than the entire village combined..."

Naruto shook his head, coming out of his reminiscences. That was a bygone era, and he would leave the past where it belonged.

"Anyway, I had that _Bijuudama_ fired against me enough times to understand its workings. But the kind of control required to mimic it must be earned through practice only, that much I can see. My perfect control might help me learn it faster than others…but still it will take time.", Naruto said.

Jiraiya nodded. "True. Rasengan takes shape manipulation to the highest possible level, Naruto. Even for someone with control like yours, it will take training. There are actually three steps to mastering this Jutsu. The first step is…"

….

"DAMN IT!" swore Kakashi.

Gai looked at his rival as if he had declared he was Orochimaru's loyal subordinate. Kakashi _never_ swore that loud.

"What is wrong, my eternal rival?"

Kakashi looked at him, his visible eye blazing with anger.

"Sakura has left the hospital! I think Itachi showed her something disturbing in his Genjutsu. Something to do with Sasuke no doubt. She left a note telling she was going to warn him. We need to pursue her…"

Gai looked at him warningly. "We have to notify the council before leaving the village in the next few months. Those are the rules for Elite Jounin…"

"DAMN!" swore Kakashi again, and disappeared. He had to get these irritating formalities over with.

If Sakura came to face Itachi again, she would die. He felt only little exhaustion, as he had thrown off the worst of the _Tsukuyomi _with his own eye.

He had to save his students.

…..

The more Naruto got acquainted with Jiraiya and his eccentricities, the more he felt that his godfather was a man of his word.

He was a super-pervert.

The first time he had accused Jiraiya of being a pervert, the man had with wide eyes and weirdly wiggling fingers proclaimed himself the super-pervert. Naruto had scoffed, dismissing his boastful claim.

The man had discussed with him the three vices a shinobi could fall into: Women, alcohol and Money.

That hypocrite. He was currently indulging all three of those so called 'vices', leaving him to practice the _Rasengan._

The first step was popping a water balloon. Since he had his epiphany about the Rasengan's working, he had tried and tried to pop the balloon. He was close, and he knew it.

He leisurely walked down the street, stowing away his water balloon. Control exercises like this one required finesse and calm, and could not be done with a frustrated mind.

Anyway, he had to talk to Sasuke. The Uchiha had really been killing himself with that self-punishment he called training.

Naruto appeared in front of their hotel, walked up leisurely to their room and pushed open the door. Sasuke was staring at open space with his Sharingan activated, presumably training his _doujutsu_.

"Training the Sharingan, huh?"

Sasuke turned to look at him. " Yeah. I need to use the Sharingan well with shunshin. I have the eyes to keep up with my speed, and I will make use of it. What do you think?"

Naruto nodded.

" An excellent idea, Sasuke. A true user of the Sharingan and the shunshin simultaneously will be fearsome. Just like Uchiha Shisui. I would recommend that you learn Kenjutsu as well…"

Sasuke looked thoughtful. Yes. That would go very well indeed. Kenjutsu was an extremely useful and sophisticated art.

In fact, the finesse required for Kenjutsu would be higher than that needed for Taijutsu. He already had his sword, and he had Kushina-san to teach him. He had Naruto to spar with.

Sasuke felt rather happy. His training was in the right direction. His momentary elation, however, was quelled by a shrill voice. A voice that was too familiar.

"SASUKE-KUN!"

Naruto looked at the door in alarm, sensing Sakura's extreme agitation. Something had happened.

Appearing in front of the door, he opened it swiftly to reveal a dishevelled Sakura who promptly threw herself upon Sasuke making sure he was alright.

"Are you alright, Sasuke-kun? Are you hurt….!"

Sasuke gently pried Sakura's invasive hands off his body.

"Calm down, Sakura. What happened? Tell me, slowly."

Naruto and Sasuke watched their teammate in apprehension as she took a few deep breaths to steady herself.

"Sasuke-kun, it is your brother…."

Sasuke looked on high alert. His face showed no anger, only extreme determination.

Naruto stared into Sakura's eyes.

"He was in Konoha, wasn't he? Did he attack?"

Sakura gulped, and nodded.

"Tell us. Tell us everything, _now_." Sasuke ordered.

"It was in the forest of the god. I saw Kakashi-sensei, Asuma-sensei and Kurenai-sensei fighting Kisame and Itachi…", Sakura launched into her story.

…

Naruto ran full pelt through the town, casting around for his errant godfather. The man needed to be informed of this immediately as he had the means to get the news to his spy network discreetly.

_There…A very large chakra. Somewhere near the outskirts. It feels like ero-sennin's._

He disappeared with a series of shunshin, coming closer and closer to Jiraiya's position.

There he was. Sitting beneath a tree, giggling like an idiot doing his so called research.

"Hey, Ero-Sennin! Listen. Itachi and Kisame targeted Konoha again, and tried to capture Sakura-"

"Where is she?" interrupted Jiraiya.

"Right here. She came to warn us, ero-sennin. Itachi and Kisame might target her at any time…can you install some security seals in our rooms?"

Jiraiya nodded and disappeared.

Naruto sighed and sat down in Jiraiya's spot. The man certainly knew how to choose his resting places.

Trees…were the best.

…

Sasuke heard a knock on the door to his room. Not good.

Jiraiya _never_ knocked, preferring to come through the window. Activating his Sharingan, he went to the door and opened it.

And stared up into another pair of Sharingan. His heart began to beat faster as he stared at the face of his traitorous brother, Itachi.

"Hello, Sasuke. I see you have a fully mature Sharingan. And Sakura-san. I am sorry, but I will have to kill you two. "

Sakura gasped, but said bravely." Do you think you can hold out against Jiraiya-sama or are both here…"

Itachi looked amused as he disappeared only to appear behind Sakura and kick her. But he kicked only empty air.

Sasuke was on the opposite side of the room with Sakura held securely in his arms. Sakura looked dazed by the speed as Sasuke set her down.

"Itachi, you should never have come here. I have seen Naruto destroy an army. I know of Jiraiya's reputation. Not even you can defeat them.", Sasuke said.

He had long since taken Naruto's advice and had calmed himself during a fight. No longer did he simply fire up at the mention of Itachi's name.

As Naruto had said, that was weakness. Anger was a weakness.

Itachi looked at his brother.

"I can match either of them, if I have to. But as you say, not both at once. But I do know that you will never beat me, Sasuke. You lack hatred."

Sasuke snorted.

"I have changed, brother. You won't dictate my actions anymore…" he held out his hand and began charging it up with lightning chakra.

"Kakashi-san's Raikiri…"

Sasuke's hand was now covered in lightning, errant arcs of it dancing around the room. Suddenly he disappeared and reappeared almost instantly, the lightning hand buried in Itachi's gut.

Itachi smirked down at him.

"Foolish little brother. My eyes will always be stronger than yours."

Sasuke gasped as the world rippled in his perception, and he saw his hand buried… not in Itachi's gut.

To his horror, it was buried in Sakura's.

His eyes widened as he saw the light of life leaving his teammate's eyes. Sakura gasped out with her last breath,

"_Sasuke-kun…"_

Sasuke could not comprehend what was happening. He had been fooled by Itachi into stabbing Sakura. He could not bear seeing Sakura gurgling blood.

Itachi stood behind him.

"Weak…and blind."

Sasuke felt utter grief exploding in his heart, as he lost someone he considered a precious person. Itachi was taking away one more.

That traitor!

Sakura slumped as Sasuke removed his hand, horrified. He watched as Sakura fell down to the earth. His Sharingan would make sure that this scene would forever be imprinted in his mind.

Slowly he turned into Itachi, unable to look at Sakura. His eyes were burning, and shed tears incessantly.

"I will _never _forgive this…"

Itachi still looked at him stoically. His eyes morphed into his Mangekyou.

"Oh…and what will you do, little brother? Your eyes are no match for mine, I have shown you already. You are weak."

The tears falling from Sasuke's eyes were no longer normal. The young Uchiha's face was twisted with mad rage and loss, as he cried tears of blood.

His three-tomoe Sharingan changed into his Mangekyou Sharingan, and a sinister chakra exploded from him.

He opened his eyes and stared at Itachi.

His eyes were no longer normal, but consisting of three ellipses intersecting at the centre.

…

Naruto got up fast as he felt Sakura's wound, and the sinister chakra of Sasuke. He knew it too well.

_Sasuke had awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan._

Before he could disappear, he felt someone appear behind him. A very huge chakra and it felt different and familiar at the same time.

"My name is Pain, Kyuubi Jinchuuriki. Save yourself the fight and come with me peacefully."

Naruto turned and saw something that surprised him to no end.

It was a spiky orange haired man, in Akatsuki robes. But his eyes…

"A wielder of the legendary _Rinnegan._ I have no time to fight you, Akatsuki. I am sure you have heard of my prowess. Let me leave peacefully, or else…"

Naruto had no time for the banter. His teammate was dying. He wouldn't dare underestimate the _Rinnegan, _though.

"_Mokuton: Jukai Koutan!"_

Thousands of trees were born from the earth in front of him and rushed towards his opponent, who looked mildly surprised. Naruto exerted even more, and trees were born in all directions and surrounded the lone Akatsuki, hurtling at him rapidly.

Pain looked at the trees rushing at him from all directions. This child was very, very strong.

The trees were branching out and multiplying, becoming uncountable by the second. It seemed as if Pain would be killed any second by Naruto's Jutsu.

Naruto could sense a massive build-up of chakra from his opponent.

"**SHINRA TENSEI!"**

Naruto shielded himself with a wood wall as his attacking forest was blown into pieces, wood splinters flying everywhere. The air was thick with them.

A terrifying Jutsu. Obviously, this was a technique that manipulated gravity itself. It was truly an almighty push.

"You cannot beat god, Uzumaki Naruto. You can never stand up to these eyes."

Personally, Naruto disagreed.

He walked up to stand opposite Pain. The Akatsuki shinobi looked at him arrogantly, and Naruto could not help but respect him. This man could definitely be a hard ninja to fight.

But he had no doubt that he would prevail.

"You may wield the _Rinnegan_, Akatsuki, but you are no Rikodou Sennin. You have no understanding of the true _power_ of those eyes. An upstart…that is what you are. A child playing with things he has no comprehension of…"

He watched as the spiky orange haired man lost his arrogance, to be replaced by anger. The anger gradually gave way to his own amusement.

"I could say the same to you, child. You may have the _Mokuton_, but you are no Hashirama!"

Naruto smirked. If only he knew. It was easy enough to deal with that Gravity technique once he had faced it. He may have others, though.

An attractive technique would complement a repulsive one; the duality of chakra demanded it.

He held out the bird seal.

"_Mokuton: Ten'noTsurugi!"_

A hundred long pointed stakes of wood with sharp edges rushed towards Pain from all directions again, in a perfect circle.

Pain's flung out his hands again. "_Shinra Tensei!"_

The massive force exploded in all directions, ripping up the ground. Naruto smirked. He would find this one interesting.

The hundreds of stakes rushing at pain bent back, curling almost to the ground, but they did not break. Pain's eyes widened as he saw what was happening.

The stakes all snapped back to cut the _Rinnegan _wielder. Pain who had not counted on the elasticity of the stakes, pointed both hands at the ground.

"_Bansho Ten'in!"_

The earth below Pain was pulled up in a massive columnar explosion of rubble, intercepting each and every one of the stakes.

Pain walked out from the rubble he had used to defend himself. Too bad he had used his gravity manipulation to bind his defence together, thought Naruto.

"That was clever. You are strong, but I repeat. These eyes cannot be defeated."

Naruto raised his hands in a ram seal, looking around the ripped up clearing. Their location was isolated enough for him to let loose a bit without endangering the town.

Pain charged at him, engaging in a match of Taijutsu. Naruto found that he was fighting an extremely resilient opponent; his powerful strikes were having little effect on the man.

Naruto took a hard punch to his stomach, knocking the breath out of him. It seemed that the Rinnegan gave some gifts to its wielder. He could not lay a hand on Pain, no matter how unpredictable he made his strikes.

Pain was somehow able to counter each and every one of his hits and he was using gravity manipulation to counter his raw strength.

Naruto shone silver for a moment, and slammed his hands down on the ground. A shockwave similar to the one he had sent at Orochimaru rushed towards Pain, blasting the ground beneath it to bits.

_"Shinra Tensei!"_

This time, the force that blasted outwards from Pain easily overcame his own shockwave and flung him back painfully striking him hard breaking bones.

Naruto landed a few hundred paces away, falling hard. He could feel his ribs broken, his wrist damaged.

If he had a normal body, he would have gone down instantly with multiple broken bones. If he had Hashirama's body fully developed, he could have shaken off that blast easily.

But now, he took minor injuries. He concentrated healing chakra to the areas and they healed instantly.

His eyes snapped up to Pain in utter resolve. He slammed his palms together and shouted his technique.

Six huge Dragons of wood rose out of the earth, floating up in the air magnificently. Naruto stood up on one of them, directing his creations.

Naruto flared his chakra, shining bright silver. The dragons began to shine silver as well as they flew in the sky, circling around Pain's location.

Pain looked at the sky with wonder, seeing it filled with Dragons that shone with the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki's chakra. He flung out his hands gathering his chakra for this technique. It would be big.

Naruto pumped his chakra through his dragons, as the wood they were made of were so conducive to chakra that it was almost as if they were an extension of him.

He could feel Pain gathering his chakra as well, presumably to unleash that huge gravitational push.

The Dragons floating high in the air opened their mouths, revealing a shining silver light within their mouths.

_Heavenly pillars of light. _A technique he had not used for a long time. It was as stronger than even Bijuudama if he wanted it to be, but he wanted to keep the terrain surrounding them relatively undamaged. He used Mokuton to conduct, amplify and shape his chakra into pure energy. The dragons dived from every direction towards Pain in a circle, causing the Akatsuki shinobi to gather even more chakra. The air was saturated with the sheer amount of power they were exuding.

_"Mokuton: Hikari no ten'nohashira!"_ intoned Naruto.

Six huge columns of burning silver light, descended from the mouths of the diving Dragons, flashing towards Pain in a heartbeat. The air was impossibly bright, filled with Naruto's technique.

"_Shinra Tensei!"_

Another explosion rippled out of Pain, this one larger than ever. The columns of light were not dispelled, only deflected.

The six columns of light collided with the ground chaotically, thrown out of course by Pain's jutsu. The combined explosion, also joined by Pain's gravity manipulation caused a huge explosion, multiple shockwaves emanating from it. Naruto's sight went white as he shielded himself with a wooden sphere, and let the other five dragons dissipate. This fight could not continue at such a level.

The village would be destroyed. Already he could feel the massive shockwaves generated buffet the village…but thankfully only at the edge.

He watched from high up in the air, standing upon his dragon, high enough in the air to escape that explosion.

He could still feel Pain's chakra down there. The cloud of dust parted slowly to reveal the ground.

A crater. A crater that spread to at least a Kilometer, and went around half a kilometre deep.

He could sense the alarm of the villagers, they were frantic. The crater had not encompassed the village, thank kami.

But he assumed that the shockwaves had caused a momentary storm in there. His Dragon dived, landing upon the ground.

He jumped down to confront Pain, his wood dragon following faithfully behind him.

"Do you really want to attract so much attention to yourself, Pain? Destroying this village in our fight would cause the villages to focus upon Akatsuki. Do you want that?"

Pain looked at him impassively.

"That is of no import. I want you captured, and I will take out anything in my way to see that happen. Perhaps _you_ should stop fighting…"

Naruto stared back calmly as well sure that Pain knew his answer. The two faced each other inside the crater they had created.

The ground started rumbling, the rubble breaking into even finer pieces everywhere as they readied themselves for another bout of combat.

The air behind Pain suddenly distorted spirally, causing a man in Akatsuki robes and an orange mask to materialize.

"Tobi is here! Tobi is a good boy! He will take Leader-sama back to the hideout!" the man yelled out in a childish voice.

Naruto stared at him.

Pain was looking at him with annoyance on his face. But Naruto could sense the Mangekyou Sharingan in the weird orange masked man, and a very strong chakra.

Traces of his own chakra. He was irritated. _Why did everyone have his chakra these days?_

"Tobi, I need to finish this. Stay out of it!"

But Tobi shouted his denial childishly, and gripped Pain's shoulder causing them both to disappear in a swirling vortex of space-time.

Naruto sighed. That was one fight he did not want to do in a populated area. He had no intention of becoming responsible for mass slaughter due to collateral damage of all things.

Sasuke and Sakura seemed safe. Jiraiya's chakra had also stopped fluctuating, indicating that his fight was over as well. He could sense the pervert moving towards his teammates.

He could sense a chakra he had recognized before. Was it him who had assaulted Sasuke? No matter, he would find out the truth today.

"We have to stop meeting like this, Itachi."

Sure enough, the Uchiha appeared in front of him, Mangekyou Sharingan blazing.

"_Tsukuyomi"_

Naruto suddenly found himself in an empty world where clouds raced against a blood red sky.

Itachi appeared in front of him. Naruto tested the nature of the Genjutsu by sending out momentary pulses of his own chakra.

Strong. Very strong, indeed. To actually put someone who was a sensor type, a Jinchuuriki…_and_ him in a Genjutsu of this strength was exceptional.

He gathered his chakra and sent it out in a huge blast. His eyes widened when the world did not even waver.

Something stronger was needed.

"I need to talk to you, Naruto-kun. I cannot do so if you keep irritating me with those blasts of chakra."

Naruto studied Itachi. "You know this cannot hold me."

"I do. But I wish to talk to you, and this is the safest way. I control space and time in this perception."

"What did you do with Sasuke?"

The world shifted into his hotel room, where he saw Sasuke facing down Itachi, Mangekyou blazing.

_"I will never forgive this, Itachi!"_

_The two brothers faced each other, their accursed eyes meeting._

_"Amaterasu!" they shouted in unison._

_In the centre of the corridor materialized a large torrent of black fire. The entire place was melting away with the sheer heat, both brothers trying to dominate and control the heavenly flames._

_Sasuke was screaming, unused to the Mangekyou while Itachi grimly pressed on. The corridor had caught fire entirely, actually melting into some slag and still not extinguishing._

_A shockwave suddenly disturbed the building, causing Sasuke to lose control of the flames. The young Uchiha had given out from his first overuse of Mangekyou._

_Itachi turned with surprised eyes towards Naruto's and Pain's fight, and disappeared._

Naruto observed Itachi quietly as the world turned back to its original state.

"What happened to Sakura?"

Itachi sighed.

"I put all my strength into a Genjutsu of two layers. One to make Sasuke stab Sakura-san, and the other to make him believe that the wound was deep. It is not easy to overpower Sharingan, but I can do it."

Naruto nodded. "From your emotions, and your actions…I can only conclude that your aims do not lie with Akatsuki. Tell me, what happened in the Uchiha massacre? Hiruzen was going to tell me, but he was killed. Will you tell me?"

Itachi looked at him sharply. "Yes, I know all about that. You, Naruto-kun, are an enigma. You have the pure raw strength of Hashirama, you have his potent chakra, and you use his exact same techniques. I have my suspicions about you, but I would like you to tell me in exchange for the truth about the Uchiha massacre."

Naruto considered. If Itachi proved to be trustworthy after all this, then he most definitely would deserve to know his secret.

"You go first, Itachi. Show me what happened that night."

Itachi nodded and the world began to change and mirror the events of the Massacre, and Itachi's perspective.

_A young Itachi learning and perceiving the truths of the village and its ancient heritage. A young Itachi learning of the balance of power in the elemental nations._

_A slightly older Itachi becoming ANBU, after making Chuunin and Jounin at unprecedented ages. Playing with an adorable little Sasuke._

_The Uchiha clan and the council recruiting him to spy on each other. Itachi's miserable life as a double agent. The Uchiha clan planning a coup and making Itachi a central part of it._

_Itachi informing the council, who decided the elimination of the entire clan was wise. Itachi taking the job on, to spare chaos in the village._

_Him making contact with the man who claimed to be Uchiha Madara. The two of them slaughtering the clan._

_Mikoto and Fugaku Uchiha accepting death in their son's presence, telling him he was too gentle. Itachi torturing Sasuke to make him learn hate, his heart breaking into a million pieces the entire time._

_Becoming a missing Nin and taking it all upon his shoulders. Joining Akatsuki and protecting Konoha always from the shadows…_

_…_

_…_

The visions slowly faded away, leaving Naruto to face Itachi within the original Genjutsu.

Naruto looked at Itachi with absolute admiration and respect, mixed with sadness. What a man! What greatness and nobility!

He bowed deeply to Itachi.

"You are great, Itachi. So great that even my sacrifices dwarf in comparison to yours. You deserve to know my secret. Listen carefully, and know your answer. Use that Mangekyou of yours to stare at my mind's reflection…"

Naruto used the connection Itachi had allowed between them to show him the truth of his own identity and watched as Itachi's face began to transform from stoic to true wonder and joy. He ended the visions at the point when Hiruzen was convinced beyond belief that he was Hashirama.

A smile lit up Itachi's face, his eyes burning with happiness and amazement.

"Amazing…to have you back as Uzumaki Naruto, Hashirama-sama. With you protecting the village…"

"Don't get too comfortable, Itachi. I may be strong, and I will surpass even my old strength…"

Itachi could not help but gasp at this.

"…but there is more to the Akatsuki than just what has been revealed. The one who called himself Uchiha Madara in your past was an impostor."

Itachi's face grew even more surprised, but Naruto continued urgently.

"I need to tell you what I think. I think that the impostor is involved with Akatsuki for a reason. Pain has the _Rinnegan_, as you well know. He has no mastery over those eyes, or the battle would have been much tougher. Do not let your guard down because I am back, Itachi. Konoha needs you now more than ever."

Itachi nodded, still looking uncharacteristically happy.

"But my burdens are lessened, Hashirama-sama. With you watching over Sasuke, my plans for him are unnecessary. I will not turn him into the darkness anymore and orchestrate my own death. I can protect Konoha better if I am alive, now."

Naruto nodded.

"I have no doubt that you have read the tablet in the Nakano shrine?"

Itachi nodded. "That is how I got the secrets of the Mangekyou."

Naruto continued. "Then you know of the history between Senju and Uchiha. You must have an idea of the _Rinnegan's _power. If Pain attacks again with all his strength, I will be the only one standing between him and Konoha's destruction. There is much more to this…"

"What do you mean when you say, 'Pain's full strength', Hashirama-sama?"

"Listen carefully Itachi. I could sense that Pain was nothing more than a puppet, and that he was being controlled by chakra transmission from another location. I could sense five other such puppets and I assume they each wield the six paths."

Itachi looked very alarmed now, "If the true Pain attacks with all six paths unified…"

"Yes. Only I can defeat such a person, as Konoha stands now. There must be a reason he is using the splitting of paths. You must find out, Itachi. I will be concentrating on getting back to my full strength, so I can defend Konoha when Akatsuki makes their move."

"I will find out, Hashirama-sama."

"And one last thing. You are the only one who can decipher more of the _Rinnegan_'s secrets. You know what you must do. Will you consider it?"

Itachi nodded slowly. "I will. Will you tell Sasuke of your identity?"

"He is a child, Itachi. A troubled one, but a child nevertheless. I will burden him with such knowledge only when he is ready. I want him to be my true friend, not my follower. On that note, I would ask you to drop the honorifics as well. Call me Hashirama, here."

"Alright, Hashirama. I think we have spoken as much as necessary. I can feel Jiraiya-sama approaching."

"The time will come when the nations will rise up against Akatsuki, Itachi. Please keep Konoha safe until such a time."

Itachi nodded and the illusion broke, leaving Naruto facing Itachi in the devastated crater.

"You are a greater shinobi than me, Itachi. You have my word that your sacrifice will not be forgotten by Konoha. And I will take care of Sasuke, don't worry about him. Concentrate on Akatsuki, and we will meet when you see fit."

A smile broke through Itachi's face, before he disappeared.

Naruto turned around, and spoke.

"What happened, ero-sennin?"

The white haired sage appeared in the crater, whistling at the scale of the damage.

"Who did you fight, Gaki? I fought Kisame to a stalemate, and still did not cause this much damage…"

Naruto sighed. "I will tell you everything later. But first, are Sasuke and Sakura safe?"

"They are. Kakashi and Gai followed Sakura here and got them out of that burning hotel. They are on the way back to Konoha. Those flames were _Amaterasu,_ weren't they? I had to seal them up with my strongest fire suppressor."

"We can talk in a more secure environment, ero-sennin. Too many secrets…"

Jiraiya nodded, and the duo disappeared with a _shunshin._


	10. Chapter 10

**THANK YOU FOR YOUR REVIEWS! **

**My apologies to all my readers, real life can be a bitch when it comes to updating stories. The past week has been very hectic for me, and I tried my best to get the story on as soon as possible.**

**Enjoy this chapter!**

**Regards,**

**Karldin.**

CHAPTER 10

"_That Rinnegan wielder…he is a very serious threat, ero-sennin. You said a former student of yours had awakened those eyes, but my opponent did not look like him."_

_Jiraiya looked very interested. "If I didn't have to deal with Kisame, and then extract Sasuke and Sakura, I would have loved to have a look at your opponent. Can you Henge into him?"_

"_Mokuton: Henge!"_

_Standing before the toad sage was an Akatsuki cloaked man, with orange spiky hair. The legendary Rinnegan eyes blazed, giving off a sense of unfathomable power._

_Jiraiya gasped. "Yahiko? You fought Yahiko?"_

_Naruto transformed back into his original body. _

"_No. I sensed that the one I fought was being controlled via chakra transmission. I know he was the embodiment of Tendou, the Divine path of the Rinnegan."_

_Jiraiya looked confused. "If you are right, then Yahiko is dead. No one else has the chakra to transplant those eyes on to themselves; it has to be a descendant of the Rikodou Sennin. So Nagato is the one behind all this, and is still alive. And what did you mean by paths?"_

"_Nagato. So that is his name. Ah, yes. The much is known about the Sage of the six paths, or about those eyes. I know that it has six paths: Deva, Asura, Preta, Naraka, Animal and Human. There is much more to those eyes, but this is all I know about it for sure. The rest of what I know is the usual legend about the Sage. I believe I faced the Deva path today, his jutsu was 'Shinra Tensei' after all. He was an extremely formidable opponent and I think if he comes at me with all six paths unified in his true body, I will have to fight quite seriously."_

"_Then we need more information. If someone using Nagato's eyes, or Nagato himself has resurfaced, it is indeed a serious threat. Akatsuki is becoming very strong, and I think they will continue to quietly gather strength before making a bid for the bijuu. Especially after you forced a stalemate with Pain", concluded Jiraiya with concern._

"_I can match Pain, ero-sennin. But Sasuke has awakened the Mangekyo thanks to Itachi, and Itachi himself…is doing all he can to obtain more power. Konoha will be in safe hands even without me."_

_Jiraiya nodded, and the two sat quietly for a while._

"_It's time to go, ero-sennin. Sasuke and Sakura are safe in Konoha, and we will do what needs to be done to get Tsunade back. I should never have brought Sasuke along…but I suppose it all worked out."_

Naruto stopped his ponderings of yesterday's conversation and stared at the town they had just reached.

Tanzaku town, the place where Tsunade was sighted last.

They were here, finally. Naruto held up a half-ram seal, immersing himself in his sensory perception of chakra. His senses extended for a mile in every direction, searching, questing.

_There. A large chakra, too familiar. It may or may not be Tsunade, but it certainly felt like the chakra of the Senju clan._

"Found her, ero-sennin. Or at least female members of the Senju clan. I have a lock on her location, and I can lead us there directly."

Jiraiya nodded, and the three of them followed Naruto through the town.

Naruto had healed Sasuke and Sakura, the two having sustained only minor damage.

Sasuke's chakra exhaustion was dealt with easily enough, and the Uchiha had become as quiet as the grave since the altercation with his brother. Kakashi and Gai had taken his teammates back to Konoha. As much as he hated to admit it, Sakura was a liability as of now.

Kakashi had been furious with her. But she was yet to recover completely, and Sasuke had wanted to go back.

Naruto thought of Itachi, and his plans for Sasuke. He really wanted to tell Sasuke everything, but he respected Itachi too much to interfere in Uchiha affairs. Instead he told Sasuke of Itachi's deception with Sakura to get him to develop Mangekyo Sharingan.

He could certainly point Sasuke towards the answers. It wasn't his place to brainwash Sasuke about the village's importance. It was a decision each shinobi had to make for himself.

Sasuke had caught on then, becoming introspective and silent. He was actually putting the facts together, and was asking himself _why_ Itachi did what he had. Naruto hoped that the answer he found would not cause him to lose himself.

Sasuke had shown no intention of wanting to continue with the mission, instead wanting to go back to the village. He claimed he had to read something he couldn't before.

Naruto understood.

_I will try my best to reunite Sasuke with you, Itachi. It is my promise as a Shinobi. I only hope he won't lose himself to the darkness when he learns what happened to you._

They paused in front of a bar in a busy street. Naruto looked at Jiraiya.

"This is the place, ero-sennin. Shall we go?"

Jiraiya nodded, looking anxious and happy at the same time.

He pushed open the doors and Jiraiya followed, and he set course towards Tsunade's chakra. His sensing led him to an occupied table with a pig crawling upon it.

He lifted his head and gazed upon his granddaughter, his _grown up_ granddaughter. When had the little girl become so beautiful? Her blonde hair was now long and in pigtails, just like when she was little. Her body was perfect, with rather large…assets.

Naruto took his mind and eyes off there. She was his _granddaughter_, for god's sake! He calmed himself and kept staring at her face, affection in his eyes.

Family. This time, his direct descendant. He couldn't wait to tease the hell out of her!

Tsunade stopped her steady consumption of Sake, and stared back at him. A short-haired brunette woman considerably younger than Tsunade reached for the peacefully grunting pig on the table.

"What are you looking at, Gaki?"

Naruto felt really out of his depth. Tsunade used to be a little girl whom he taught gambling, not this grown woman who consumed Sake! He felt a temptation to wrest the Sake bottle from her hands and scold her till she cried.

Jiraiya appeared behind Naruto, noting his discomfort. Naruto looked like a startled deer as he stared at Tsunade with a conflicted face.

"JIRAIYA!" shouted Tsunade, her attention off the 'kid'.

"Hello, Tsunade! Looking as beautiful as ever…" said Jiraiya attempting to sound debonair.

"What are you doing here, pervert? It seems too much of a coincidence for two team mates to visit me at once…"

"You mean Orochimaru. What did he say?" asked Jiraiya, drawing up a chair to sit opposite Tsunade. Naruto did the same, still trying to collect himself.

Tsunade looked nonchalant. "Nothing, just stopped by to say hello. You know…we haven't seen each other in so long. That's more than I can say for you, you pervert!"

Jiraiya opened his mouth, but Naruto beat him to it.

"Liar. Orochimaru never just says hello to anybody. You lie, Tsunade…didn't your parents teach you lying was a bad habit?" asked Naruto with a grin.

He knew full well that her parents had taught her not to lie. He on the other hand had unintentionally taught her the opposite when he showed her gambling.

Tsunade scowled, as she saw Naruto grinning. Jiraiya too smiled but dropped it when Tsunade glared at him.

"Who's the kid, Jiraiya?"

"Uzumaki Naruto. Don't bother denying the lie, Tsunade. He is a very strong sensor. Anyway, do you know what has been happening in Konoha?"

Tsunade gasped a little and looked closer at Naruto.

"No, I know only that Sarutobi-sensei is dead, and some rumours. You are the one they are calling the "god of shinobi" now. They say you have Mokuton of all things, and you destroyed Iwa's army with it. Rumors…they get overblown sometimes, huh? Anyway Gaki, how dare you call me, a Sannin, a liar?"

"Well, you did lie. Thus, you are a liar." Said Naruto amusedly.

"Anyway" Jiraiya interrupted hurriedly, seeing Tsunade's temper rising "The village wants you back, Tsunade. It is time for you to return, you are being recalled officially."

Tsunade stared at him, and laughed.

"I will never go back to that village after all I suffered there, Jiraiya. You know that. Is the village in need of my healing now? Has the medical wing grown so lax in my absence?"

Naruto snorted. What was wrong with her? She had allowed herself to become too jaded. And presumptive.

"Look, Tsunade, ero-sennin and I are not here for your healing. In fact, I can heal people as well as you can. No, we need you for something else."

Jiraiya looked at her seriously. "We need you to come back, and become the Godaime Hokage of Konoha, Tsunade. The village is in shambles and we need a strong hand to guide us. It cannot be me, for obvious reasons. So it must be you. You are chosen."

Tsunade snarled to her companion, "Shizune, I cannot believe this. Look at the gall of the pervert, asking me to become Hokage of that godforsaken village! The position of Hokage is trash! The previous Hokage led futile lives, finally giving up their lives for a place that never appreciated their great sacrifices. I have no intention of leading such a village, never!"

Naruto flared a bit of his chakra in surprise, causing the table to crack up. It seemed nothing could get through to Tsunade. Not for the first time since he set eyes upon her, he wished she had remained a little girl.

"Is that really what you think, Tsunade? Is that what you believe about Konoha?"

Tsunade didn't even look at him. "Nice trick, Gaki. But I have more chakra in my pigtails than you have now. So, enough with the flaring please."

Jiraiya shook his head with resignation as Naruto's face hardened slightly.

"Then, care to make a bet? Fight. Just the two of us. You win, I pay of all your debts. Don't worry, I have the resources. I win, you come back to Konoha and become Hokage."

Tsunade looked at Naruto as if he had lost his mind.

"Suicidal Gaki. Alright, I'll bite. Let's take this outside."

Shizune and Jiraiya sighed, the latter giving Naruto a meaningful look.

Naruto nodded. Time to see how much his granddaughter had improved.

….

Jiraiya, Shizune and Tonton all stood to the side as Naruto faced Tsunade in the alley.

Tsunade lifted up a finger.

"All I need to beat a kid like you is a single finger."

Naruto smiled, thinking of the past. How odd to have his own words thrown back at him.

"_Ojisan! Kaa-san taught me how to kick! Prepare to lose!" declared a five year old Tsunade, facing her grandfather._

"_Hahaha! Tsunade-chan…I am still stronger than you in Taijutsu! I kick loads better than you! The only thing you can beat me in is gambling!" laughed Senju Hashirama._

_Tobirama looked at his brother and sighed. "Only you could be beaten at gambling by a child, Hashirama. You were always horrible at it, but you taught your own granddaughter your bad gambling. And now you get beaten by her. Honestly…"_

_Hashirama looked indignant. "Hey, I beat you last time!"_

"_Right. After you sent a wood clone to ask Mito for advice. That was hardly fair."_

_Hashirama looked sheepish._

"_Well…"_

"_OJISAN! Let's fight!" yelled an obviously irritated little Tsunade._

_Hashirama looked at his granddaughter, and lifted up a finger._

"_What are you doing?" asked Tsunade cutely, tilting her head to the side._

"_All I need to beat you is a single finger, Tsunade-chan."_

"I'll keep it fair, then" said Naruto and lifted up his own finger. Tsunade smirked.

"Your funeral."

Tsunade appeared in front of him, and thrust the finger towards his chest fast, but Naruto blocked it.

The pressure of the collision created a small shockwave. Naruto grimaced. She was very strong. Stronger than him, physically.

He jumped backwards, his broken finger glowing green with healing chakra. As his bones mended, Naruto reflected.

Tsunade had found a way to harness extreme physical strength instantaneously. He himself needed to gather chakra for a few moments to enhance his strength many times over, that was the basis of the nature fist.

Naturally he was strong, yes. But from what he saw of Tsunade, she had found a way to increase her chakra control to ultimate refinement.

He dropped into the first stance of the nature fist, holding up only the now mended finger.

Chakra began reinforcing that finger, causing Tsunade's eyes to widen. This time Naruto took the initiative, rushing at his errant granddaughter fast.

Their fingers met with the force of rampaging bulls, causing the ground to crack. They disappeared from sight, clashing furiously, fighting only with their forefingers.

Strength met strength as the Nature fist began to unveil its power. Naruto steadily gathered chakra and his strikes became stronger and stronger.

Tsunade, to his surprise, was easily able to match his strength. Impressive! The girl really did deserve to be one of the _Densetsu no Sannin._

Tsunade suddenly lifted her finger high and with a yell, brought it down on Naruto's head. Naruto blocked it with his own forefinger, but the strength was too much. Tsunade had put a lot into that strike.

He was smashed into the ground, multiple bones broken. He lay groaning in the depression he had created with his fall.

Tsunade landed in front of him.

"You are very strong, but not enough to match a Sannin. Too bad you lost the bet, Gaki."

Naruto's body glowed green, and bones began to mend themselves automatically. Tsunade gasped, as she recognized her ultimate jutsu used by that kid like it was nothing.

Naruto got up, shaking his head. If he unleashed too much chakra, he would alert the wrong people. The situation called for a more elegant solution.

"I must not unleash my chakra too much, but I will end this fast."

Naruto closed his eyes, his shoulder-length blonde hair rippling in the wind. A silver sheen emanated from his body, as he filtered his chakra to a higher purity.

"Nature chakra. So pure…" he whispered. The air around Naruto began to feel heavy,

Naruto opened his eyes, staring at Tsunade. _Only other sages can sense this chakra._ _Let us see how you do when I use my chakra at this purity, Tsunade. _

He appeared in front of Tsunade and flicked her with his finger. Tsunade caught the flick with her own finger, but was sent crashing into the ground creating an even deeper crater. Dust rose from the site, shrouding Tsunade and Naruto.

"Tsunade-sama!" cried Shizune, running to Tsunade.

Naruto stared down at Tsunade, who had markings appear on her forehead. He should not have damaged her this much.

He supposed Tsunade would have met his chakra with her own if only she could have sensed it. She was unprepared for his enhanced strike. That chakra he had used was special.

"_Yin Seal! Release!", _came her weak voice.

He could feel Tsunade's injuries healing up, and her chakra drop down slightly. Naruto felt proud of his granddaughter. She had come far.

"_Doton: Chikyu no iyasu!"_ said Naruto, his palms upon the earth. The damage wrought by their fight was erased, and the ground went back to a somewhat normal state.

Tsunade stared at him with wide eyes. He could feel clearly her churning surprise.

"You fight like a Senju, Gaki. That Taijutsu of yours reminds me of…." Tsunade trailed off, scrutinizing Naruto with a critical eye.

"To be fair, this was a draw. You healed yourself after I knocked you down and I did the same. So the bet is still not resolved. We need to find a new contest.", she finished.

Naruto thought fast. By Tsunade's reputation, it was obvious what contest she would choose. He nodded. Time to see if his luck had changed.

"Let's gamble!"

….

"Thank you for coming, Kushina…" said Mito. She had appropriated a compound for the Uzumaki clan.

"No matter, Mito-sama. Setting up the Uzumaki clan again formally is a lot of work. In fact, I am glad you called me."

"Forget the formalities, Kushina. We are family after all. I called you here to run an idea by you. My husband and I are the only husband and wife of true Uzumaki blood, as of now. Unless-"

Kushina looked sad. "Don't mention it, Mito-san. I am always faithful to my husband the same way you are always faithful to yours."

Mito looked solemn. "No, Kushina. I would never use you to breed our clan. Uzumaki have higher ideals than that. I was about to say that we need to look for other Uzumaki in the countries. We were scattered by the war, and are now scarce. The remaining Uzumaki must stay together if our clan is to be born again from the ashes."

"Who would we send to do this task?"

"I am going myself; it is within my rights as clan head. I am sure my husband will accompany me. Will you?"

"Of course I will. The council would never accept this, though. Depriving Konoha of Naruto for an extended period of time would never sit well with them.", said Kushina.

"My husband has revealed his Mokuton, but he still is yet to regain his old strength. I have influence enough to make them let go of him. They know I was Hashirama's wife, and that I am the only one alive who knows anything about Mokuton except him. You are also a force to be reckoned with. Three years of absence for training should suit our purposes well enough, don't you think?"

Kushina smiled. This would be an excellent opportunity to rebuild their family. And an opportunity to get to know her son better.

"I agree."

…..

The council of Iwa stood up, greeting their Tsuchikage. Onoki floated to his chair, and signalled them to sit.

He looked around at them, anger slowly blooming across his dimunitive face.

"You know why we are here. Konoha defeated us yet again. We never stood a chance against that boy. The council is gathered to discuss our counter to Konoha's 'God of shinobi'. Few exist who can match his power, which by the way is still growing. We need allies."

The council started muttering in low voices. The seriousness of the situation was not lost on them, obviously.

An elderly shinobi stood up.

"Suna is an option. They too were beaten back by Konoha, and their Jinchuuriki was captured. Surely they will consider an alliance with us."

"Too bad we can't just invade them…" muttered a Jounin.

Onoki shot a sharp look at him, making him quail. "No more invasions for a long while. We need to recover first. Anyway, Kiri is strongly tending towards an alliance with Konoha, and Kumo already signed an agreement with them. I am afraid Suna is our _only_ option, weak though they are."

There were muttered agreements all around the council of the Tsuchikage.

The air to the side of the table spiralled into a single point, spitting out two red cloaked men. One had an orange mask and the other was a handsome blonde with golden hair.

"Hello, old man! Tobi, you moron, would you stop tugging on my sleeve?"

"Deidara? How dare you come here? I have no agreements with Akatsuki as of now. Leave before I turn you to dust!" ordered Onoki, looking irritated.

"Humph, as if. My art is higher than yours. Enough, Tobi!" screamed Deidara. Tobi hid himself behind a pillar, yelling apologies to his 'senpai'.

Deidara turned back to Onoki. "I am here to tell you not to interfere with Suna, old man. We predicted your intentions, and I was sent here to make you an offer."

The council was staring at their nuke nin with outrage and fear, but were calmed by Onoki. The Tsuchikage faced Deidara.

"Get on with it, boy. My back isn't getting any better!"

Deidara grinned. " yeah. You continue hiring our organization, and we can guarantee you Suna's support besides our own."

Onoki looked disbelieving. "Really, Deidara. Just for so much money, you will guarantee a nation's support along with the power of nine S-class ninja?"

"Not really. You see, we have another condition. We need you to grant us haven in Iwa, if we need , the choice is yours old man!"

The council was shocked by this demand, but Onoki was considering. Kumo and Kiri would not deal with a humiliated nation. Suna was the only choice, and Akatsuki's strength was unquestionable.

Here came Deidara, promising him the aid of Suna and Akatsuki. He could save his men by avoiding a takeover of Suna. He doubted that Suna would be amenable to an alliance.

That boy Naruto could defeat him in an all-out fight if it came down to it, and Konoha had the strength of individuals. He would put Iwa above anything, even his own morals. That is what Muu-sama had taught him. That was the Niidaime's legacy.

He made his decision.

…..

Naruto was grinning happily, as he walked alongside Jiraiya. He had actually won at gambling, hands down! His luck had improved. He couldn't wait until he told Mito.

True, he had beaten _Tsunade_ whose luck at gambling was as bad as his own, but still it was a start!

"I won at gambling, I actually won!" shouted Naruto, too happy to keep a low voice. Jiraiya too looked happy.

"Good thing too, you got Tsunade to agree. She was always notorious for failing to follow through with payment when she lost, though. We need to keep an eye on her. She might still be considering Orochimaru's offer, you know", said Jiraiya pensively.

Naruto looked angered now. "Let him come. I will _end_ him!"

"I know you want him to pay for sensei's death, I do too. But he is too strong to take down without a large scale battle, and we don't want any more attention drawn to ourselves. Wasn't that battle with Akatsuki enough?"

Naruto calmed down at that. Nevertheless, no grandchild of his would ever be in league with Orochimaru. He admired the Snake Sannin's skill and resilience, but hated everything else about him.

"I will still try to kill Orochimaru if I set eyes on him again. He is too dangerous. No way will I let Tsunade turn her back on Konoha."

Jiraiya nodded. "I will speak to Tsunade about it. Anyway, how is your progress with the Rasengan?"

"I finished stage one" so saying Naruto took out a water balloon and circulated chakra violently in it. The balloon burst in a shower of water.

"Great job! Now, the second step. Try to pop these rubber balls." Said Jiraiya and gaily tossed him a sack of the stuff.

Naruto grumbled, and went to work. Atleast learning the Rasengan for a while would help him clear his head after meeting his jaded and world weary granddaughter. He really wished he could talk to Mito about all this.

Worry shot through him as he remembered the Rinnegan user. He had fought only the Deva path…

He absently got out a rubber ball and got to work. This step obviously emphasized power, just as the previous step had emphasized rotation.

Just like Bijuudama. _Rotation. Power. Containment._

Containment was easy enough, he already did that with his _Heavenly pillars of light. _The problem was power, how to introduce more power into the Rasengan…

….

_Uchiha Sasuke stood in front of the secret Nakano shrine of the Uchiha, his eyes morphing into the Mangekyo Sharingan._

_His eyes alighted upon the tablet supposedly carved by the Sage of the Six paths himself. He began to read, noting the difference in perception between the Sharingan and the Mangekyo Sharingan._

_He could comprehend…more…of the tablet. Eagerly he read on. Somehow, the evolution of his eyes had led him to being able to read the tablet in more detail. Still he knew that the tablet contained much more information._

_As he read, his face changed from eagerness to disbelief to anger._

"_Damn you, Itachi. You had to give me these eyes. If only I knew what was going on with you…"_

"Sasuke-kun!"

Sasuke shook himself out of his daze, looking properly at the woman who had called him. He was at Naruto's apartment, and Kushina was doting over him as usual. Lucky Naruto…

"I'm sorry, Kushina-san. I was just thinking about my eyes…"

He had told Kushina everything, from his Mangekyo to what light Naruto had shed on Itachi. He knew Naruto knew more than he let on, but one look at his teammate's face had told him that it was confidential. He had to find out for himself, it seemed.

Kushina had been very worried when she learned that Naruto had been in another dangerous fight.

He trusted Kushina for some reason. She was like his mother. Unassuming and always ready to help. So he told her everything.

_If only I could tell him what happened with Itachi. Jiraiya, Naruto, Mito and I are the only ones who know, apart from the council and the Sandaime. My son has not told him for a reason, and I trust his judgement. I am so sorry, Sasuke…you will have to find out for yourself, _thought Kushina.

"Sasuke-kun, I believe you will find the answers only if you speak with Itachi candidly. That will also give you closure. I know how much you are hurting from that incident, but you have me and Naruto now. Not to mention Mito-san…"

Sasuke did a double take as Mito was mentioned. The woman holding Naruto's hand back then was the new clan head of Uzumaki. He did not even know there was such a clan till now.

But the beautiful woman called Mito had taken that mantle, and she seemed unnaturally close to Naruto. The council had introduced her to the public as a long lost Uzumaki sealing mistress returned to Konoha again.

The Jounin however seemed to look at her with respect and worship. Kushina-san too seemed really respectful with her.

She seemed to be a really important person. His eyes registered her strength and confidence, and he realized that this was no ordinary Kunoichi.

Thoughts of his eyes banished the curious Uzumaki Mito from his mind. Knowing what he knew from the Nakano shrine…the Mangekyo Sharingan was a burden.

He would not go blind. _He would not._

_I won't die before restoring the Uchiha clan, Itachi. If I have to get the eternal eyes by killing you, then so be it. But I will find out the truth about you first._

…..

Naruto focused hard on his sixty sixth rubber ball. He was only able to puncture them by now, not pop them. Jiraiya had said it was fine and had started him on the third stage.

That one came to him easily, and he had learned the Rasengan fast enough. But it could be so much more…

It had been two days since he met Tsunade, and Jiraiya had gone to talk with her. Tsunade, it appeared, was indeed notorious about following through with payments. She kept putting off the trip with some excuse or the other.

He hoped Jiraiya would be able to talk her out of her stubbornness as he didn't want to reveal himself this soon. He would rather do that after he reacquainted himself with Tsunade to a certain degree.

He gathered his chakra and pumped it violently through the rubber ball, causing it to puncture and lose air slowly. He was trying to improve the second phase, increase the power of the Rasengan.

_What am I doing wrong? With the water balloon I rotated my chakra constantly in chaotic manner, here I do the same and the ball only punctures no matter how much power I use._

"**Heh, who would have believed I would get a chance to instruct you, Hashirama?" **asked Kyuubi, who seemed to be rather happy.

"_What do you mean?"_

"**Would you come in here? Its really irritating to break through your suppression and talk to you this way."**

"_Fine."_

Naruto closed his eyes and stood in his forest mindscape. Kurama was sleeping in his huge wooden cage, and batted open an eyelid as he came closer.

"**You know, Hashirama, you did promise that I could get out of this place soon. I didn't know you were someone to go back on their word…"**

"_Funny, Kurama. I may be strong this moment, but I am not yet enough to suppress you by chakra alone. You know I need to reach my old strength before I can do that."_

Kurama looked at him quizzically. "**Have you forgotten that thrice damned necklace of yours?"**

"_No, but I cannot find it. I asked Hiruzen, but he said it wasn't in Konoha."_

"**Hashirama, I will tell you where to find the necklace and clue you in about what you are missing with the Rasengan, if you promise to take me out of this cage and let me free, at least in your mindscape."**

Naruto spied the bijuu. It seemed reasonable. Once he had his necklace back, he would be able to suppress Kurama without any seals.

"_I agree. Tell me."_

The nine-tailed fox sighed. "**I could sense it on that hot blonde woman you were fighting earlier. Your granddaughter."**

Naruto looked flummoxed. "_Impossible. I would have felt it at such proximity."_

"**Well, you were fighting too intently to sense your chakra's reaction to the thing, but I could sense it all too well. Your necklace is with the woman. And as for that Rasengan of** **yours…remember its origins, and you will know what you are missing."**

Naruto was happy. Two problems solved! All he had to do was get the necklace from Tsunade, and master the Rasengan.

"_Thank you!"_

He opened his eyes and saw again the park he was practicing in.

Tsunade and the necklace had to wait, but he could certainly master the Rasengan.

Origins. Bijuudama was the origin. He closed his eyes again, remembering his final fight with his friend and rival Uchiha Madara.

"_Damn…he armored the bijuu with Susano. Smart Madara!"_

_He remembered the way Kurama looked like a demon lord, holding the twin swords of Susano and mirroring the eternal Mangekyo of Madara. The bijuu roared, looking terrifying in its complete armor of chakra._

_He noted clearly how the chakra coalesced into Kurama's mouth, and its violent rotation. The ball of unbelievably dense chakra seemed to pulse at its edges…._

_Wait, it pulsed at its edges…?_

Naruto opened his eyes immediately, thoughts striking in a torrent. Why would the Bijuudama pulse? No rotational force pushed outwards in such a way, however chaotic.

_I'm an idiot._

He had to add one more component to the rotation, one that made the Rasengan actually explode upon contact. An outward force from the centre had to complement the violent rotation.

He picked up a rubber ball, and began again. The turbulence of his chakra was wearing down the ball's durability and he knew it was coming close to the point of puncture.

He simultaneously caused his chakra to gather at the centre, and focused. A small gathering of chakra, surrounded by violent rotation of chakra….

_It needs to explode, like the Bijuudama. Ero-sennin's Rasengan is good, but I can make it better._

He needed to generate explosive power within the ball. And it had to be done with little effort.

He could simply force the explosion, but that would be inefficient. There had to be an answer….he cast aside the shuddering ball and laid down on the ground thinking.

Improving the second step was difficult.

….

"Jiraiya-sama!" came the concerned voice of Shizune when she saw the sannin slumped across the table. It had been about four hours since he had disappeared with Tsunade for a drink.

Tsunade had invited him for a drink to old times, and had apparently drugged him.

Jiraiya got up with difficulty, his face showing his near inert state.

"Shizune…Tsunade drugged me, I can use only a small portion of my chakra now. I am afraid she means to go to Orochimaru. We…need to get her back. Let's go."

"What about Naruto-kun?"

Jiraiya slumped down again. Damn Tsunade. She was still as good as she was back then. He had given Naruto instructions about the second and third steps to the Rasengan some four hours ago, and come to convince Tsunade.

It seemed Naruto would have to reveal himself sooner than expected.

"No need, Shizune. He…will…already have sensed my drop in chakra. He'll be here in a matter of seconds."

True enough, Naruto appeared with a _shunshin._ The young Jounin seemed to look spent. His clothes were torn up, and he had a few cuts on his face which seemed to be healing fast.

"Ero-sennin, she drugged you didn't she? I can sense her and Orochimaru, they are fighting. Let's go!"

"I…cannot, Naruto. My chakra…"

Naruto lifted up a hand with green chakra running through it.

"I can help you there." He laid the healing palm on Jiraiya's chest, and the man stood straighter.

"That is the best I can do on short notice. Purging drugs require attention to detail I don't have now. We need to rescue Tsunade. Besides, that drug will purge itself eventually."

"Its enough. Come on, Shizune."

Shizune, who was staring wide-eyed at Naruto's casual display of advanced healing, nodded.

The three disappeared.

…..

"There is no need for me to sense Tsunade, ero-sennin… this trail of destruction is enough to track her."

It was true. As they went on they could see large craters, smashed walls and general rubble.

Jiraiya nodded and looked at Naruto closely as they sped along the trail.

"Why are you so bruised?"

Naruto grimaced and held out his hand, forming a perfect Rasengan.

"You did it! Amazing…not so much, considering it was _you…"_ wondered Jiraiya. Shizune looked stunned as the Rasengan winked out of existence.

Naruto grimaced again. "It was not the normal Rasengan, I got that easily enough. But I was trying to improve the second phase with my own theories and that got me in this state. I think it will take me a few years to make my hypothesis with the Rasengan a reality."

Jiraiya snorted.

"Of course. Not even Minato was able to improve the Rasengan. But if anyone can do it, it is you. I myself have tried for many years to add Suiton, but it seems impossible…"

Naruto just looked ahead, shaking off thoughts of his failed experiment with Rasengan. He would improve it…no matter what.

The trail had led outside the village to some empty plain where they could see a particularly large crater. Three people stood there with one woman kneeling.

Naruto went cold. Tsunade was shivering, looking at something on Orochimaru's hand.

"What is she doing?" he asked Jiraiya urgently, but it was Shizune who answered.

"Tsunade-sama is afraid of blood…"

Naruto cursed. Of all possible fears for a shinobi! He glanced at Jiraiya and Shizune, who nodded.

"Three chakras. One Orochimaru, one Kisame, and one who I think is Kabuto. Let's go"

Naruto disappeared and caught Kisame's hand as it brought Samehada down on Tsunade.

"Our Jinchuuriki is here at last!" laughed Kisame. Orochimaru looked at him warily, and Kabuto stared at him with fascination.

Jiraiya appeared next to Tsunade and steadied her. The female Sannin was still shivering as she huddled into Jiraiya.

"Rejoined Akatsuki, have we, Orochimaru? Didn't expect that…" said Jiraiya noting Orochimaru's Akatsuki cloak. The snake Sannin's hands looked black and withered.

"Now, Now, Jiraiya…it is mutual benefit and I had to do it earlier than I planned, thanks to dear Naruto-kun. I am sure you understand. Tsunade here tried to kill me while she tried to make me believe she was healing me. If it weren't for Kabuto…." , Orochimaru trailed off.

Naruto stared at Kisame, registering the conversations happening. Kisame knew Naruto would beat him, but he still sensed no hesitation in the man. In fact the shark-like Akatsuki seemed excited.

"Heh,Heh….too bad I was partnered with Orochimaru. I was beginning to like Itachi-san…" chuckled Kisame. Naruto flared his silver chakra and began to crush Kisame's wrist.

Suddenly he gasped and flew back, looking at Samehada with realization.

"Realized, have you? Samehada can now eat chakra like yours, thanks to the snake here. He did give us a few gifts for letting him return…Itachi wanted to just kill him and be done with it. But no, leader-sama had to go and reinstate him. He is rather useful, though…"

Orochimaru smiled at that as Jiraiya handed Tsunade to Shizune, who tried to revive her in vain.

"We both have our handicaps, Jiraiya, but I think we know who is stronger." He looked at Naruto.

"You know, Naruto-kun, I was flattered by the fact that I sent you into such a rage that you exterminated an entire army of Iwa for me. Thank you, that made my plans a lot easier" he smirked.

Kabuto suddenly slammed his hands down on the ground.

"_Kuchiyose no jutsu!"_

A large snake appeared and hurtled towards Jiraiya, who knew that he was in no condition to summon a worthwhile toad.

"Naruto, you take Kisame this time. Shizune, fight that stupid apprentice of Orochimaru. I can hold my own with the snake even with my current chakra. Leave Tsunade for now"

Shizune shot off towards Kabuto, as Naruto and Jiraiya faced their respective opponents.

Naruto shone silver and disappeared, attacking Kisame with his Taijutsu. Kisame blocked, and swiped Samehada through his shroud of silver chakra.

Naruto fell to his knees as Samehada burped noisily, consuming more of his chakra. That sword was very irritating. He scowled. Using Kenjutsu against Kisame was not suitable, as it would take too long. Taijutsu too was eliminated.

He formed the ram seal as Kisame rushed towards him. He had to take care of Kisame fast, once and for all. Time to wipe out two of the Akatsuki by his own hand.

"_Mokuton…."_

"**Don't, Hashirama. Get the necklace from her and let me out. I want to play too."** came Kurama's voice.

Naruto paused in his thoughts, absently dodging strikes from a grinning Kisame. Samehada came down towards his head with stunning speed.

"_Shunshin no jutsu!"_

He appeared behind Tsunade and put his hand on her neck, feeling for his necklace. There was a chain…he pulled.

The necklace glinted, its green pendant shining. He put it on as Tsunade snapped out of her fear induced shock when he divested her of his necklace.

Green chakra blasted out of Naruto in all directions, kicking up a huge wind. Naruto smiled serenely as he felt his chakra become calmer and purer.

"_I can let you out, Kurama. Make sure you don't damage too much of the land, and do not use Bijuudama at full strength."_

"**Fine. Now can you just do it?"**

The fights around him had paused as Tsunade was walking towards Jiraiya and Orochimaru. Kisame was staring at him, and Shizune was groaning at Kabuto's feet.

Naruto disappeared, and appeared in the air above Kabuto with athe Rasengan blazing in his hand. Before the spectacled Shinobi could react he slammed the Rasengan into his chest with explosive force, sending him crashing into the ground.

One down.

He looked at the three sannin, who were now staring at each other. Naruto frowned as Kabuto appeared beside his master, the wound dealt by the Rasengan healing rapidly.

It appeared as if Kabuto had some weak ability of regeneration. Anyway, it was time to let Kurama out.

"Kisame, I believe the Akatsuki wanted the Kyuubi. Feel free to have him", grinned Naruto.

He slammed his hands together. "_Mokuton: Mokubunshin no jutsu!"_

"_Kurama, now that I have my necklace I have made it so that you can manifest through my wood clone. I think you can only use a part of your strength, but it should be enough!"_, he thought to Kurama.

He felt the Bijuu acknowledge this. A large tower of red chakra exploded from his wood clone, reaching to the skies. Kisame looked at the phenomenon with a kind of happy focus, already ignoring Naruto.

"_Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"_

Naruto turned and saw that the sannin had called their boss summons, their battle escalating as well. He really wanted to kill Orochimaru, but now he had to be ready to reabsorb Kurama.

The tower of red chakra had subsided, leaving his wood clone transformed into a fox-human with four tails. He could feel its intense chakra, and its elemental desires. He remained on alert, drawing chakra through his necklace.

At the height of his strength he could suppress Kurama easily, but for now he had to use the necklace.

Kisame would have his hands full. Kurama, who was manifested through his clone disappeared and slammed his hands down on Kisame.

Kisame met the beast with Samehada, and a huge white explosion resulted devastating the land. Naruto winced, Kisame would hurt after taking that hit.

Facing a bijuu with the strength of your body was madness. Sure enough, Kisame was down to one knee with his face twisted in pain. Bruises covered his body from head to toe.

Interestingly, Samehada was buried in Kurama's gut not piercing him in the slightest. It was bloated to an enormous size and cracks suddenly appeared in its structure.

Kisame threw back the beast with a massive heave and stared at his sword. Naruto smiled.

"The Kyuubi's chakra is practically inexhaustible, Kisame. Through the link to my clone, it can funnel as much chakra as is necessary to its manifestation. Your sword has more indigestion, I believe…"

Kisame roared with anger, and rushed at the four tailed Kyuubi with Samehada held aloft. The Kyuubi raised its hands and they elongated, capturing Kisame in huge fists. Kurama then proceeded to slam Kisame onto the ground repeatedly, dazing the Akatsuki.

Kisame was then tossed so hard onto the ground that a small depression appeared.

Kurama's bloodlust skyrocketed as hundreds of multicolored balls of chakra floated from his body into the air.

Kisame got up groggily, and saw the beast open its mouth. The multiple balls of chakra coalesced into a single ball of massive density.

Naruto looked on curiously as Kurama prepared a much less intense version of his true Bijuudama. The four tailed Kyuubi swallowed the ball and bloated to a comical size.

Kisame kept staring at the thing drunkenly, apparently yet to recover from his violent beating. Samehada's hilt snaked around him, giving him chakra. Naruto knew that he was toast as he could feel the staggering amount of chakra Kurama was releasing.

A battered Orochimaru and Kabuto appeared by the still recovering Kisame's side, and Kabuto slammed his hands into the ground.

"_Kuchiyose: Sanjuu Rashoumon!"_

Three demonic gates rose from the ground to defend the Akatsuki trio as Kurama released a huge and blinding bright beam of red energy.

Naruto snorted. The Rashoumon was just enough to stop that underpowered Bijuudama. As it was, the three gates exploded into dust, throwing everything into sharp relief.

He could feel Jiraiya and Tsunade dispel their summons, and he could feel Orochimaru and his colleagues being tossed far away from the clearing. They weren't dead…too bad. If not for the Rashoumon, they would have been at least critically wounded.

He could sense them fleeing, though. Akatsuki wouldn't attack so brazenly after so many defeats.

He slammed his hands together, and dispelled his wood clone causing Kurama to unmanifest completely.

"_Good fight, Kurama. Thank you for underpowering your Bijuudama. I know first hand the power in that attack…"_

"**The shark face underestimated me, Hashirama. From the way he fought, he thought me to be a mindless beast. I think he has fought other free bijuu before…I really want to tear him apart."**

"_Me too. But I have a feeling he wont go down that easily."_

Naruto turned and ran to Shizune, but Tsunade was already healing her. Jiraiya grinned at him.

"I see you handed Kisame his third defeat, as expected. Tsunade really roughed up Orochimaru, the snake was literally crawling after his beating, great job Hime!" congratulated Jiraiya loudly.

Tsunade blushed slightly, and stared up at Naruto with a small amount of respect.

"That necklace you took is my grandfather's, Gaki. You used it well to manipulate the Kyuubi's chakra, but I need it back. It is very important to me, the only heirloom of my family I have except my grandfather's armour" she requested sadly.

Naruto couldn't contain himself. "You have my necklace, and now you have my old armour? What else do you have Tsunade-chan? My old Katana? No…my scroll!" he shouted excitedly.

Tsunade stared at him with absolute shock as did Shizune. Jiraiya just face palmed.

Naruto just stood there with mouth open, looking sheepish.

_Why am I running my mouth so much these days?_

He looked at Tsunade, noting her disbelieving expression. "I suppose now is as good a time as any to tell you. Let's get back to the hotel, ero-sennin."

The toad sage grasped Tsunade's shoulder and disappeared with her, followed closely by Naruto and an amazed Shizune.

At least this would make sure Tsunade would return to Konoha. Beyond any shadow of doubt.

He really wanted to go home, and be with his family. And now that family would include Tsunade. His wife, his mother, and his granddaughter. What an odd family he had…


	11. Chapter 11

**THANK YOU FOR YOUR ENCOURAGEMENT!**

**And enjoy the chapter. **

**Regards,**

**Karldin.**

CHAPTER 11

The clouds darkened as if it was about to rain. A tall youth with a ponytail and Akatsuki cloak walked the desolate land.

His constantly activated Sharingan blazed red as he walked with a thoughtful expression.

"So…you are the notorious Uchiha Itachi. You don't look like much." said a voice behind him.

He turned around in surprise, and saw a woman fully in white. Her deep white hooded cloak concealed her face excellently, and for some reason even the Sharingan could not penetrate that concealment.

"You evaded me. Most impressive…" Itachi said stoically. His Sharingan saw the massive chakra the woman held, it was somewhat larger than his own.

"I am here to collect the bounty placed on your head, Uchiha Itachi. S-ranked criminal whose true strength is unknown, murderer of the Uchiha, traitor to Konoha…your price in the bingo book is very high, after all." said the woman in a calm voice.

Itachi still observed her stoically. The woman was very strong, and was obviously not to be taken lightly.

"You can try, but I am afraid you will be dead soon enough."

The woman said, "Let us see", and disappeared with barely a sound.

Itachi's mastery of the Sharingan allowed him to react in abundant time, and he easily caught the palm that was aimed at his chest. He pivoted and aimed a kick at her head which was neatly dodged.

The woman then sped forward and threw at him a complex series of punches and kicks, the finesse and control amazing him. But he was not called the true heir of the Sharingan for nothing and he met her attacks efficiently, extending the battle.

Finally he caught her right handed punch with his own, and slammed his elbow onto her face. At the same time, he could feel her kick connect to his side.

The two of them separated and flew back several yards from each other. His opponent seemed to be considering him carefully.

"You do not use Genjutsu on me, I see. You are a master of Genjutsu, are you not?"

"I am. But you are a sensor Ninja, and by the way your chakra flows I can see that your chakra is especially inert to Genjutsu" answered Itachi.

He formed the ox seal and intoned: "_Katon: Gokakyuu no Jutsu!"_

A massive fireball shot from his mouth, roaring towards the hooded woman at a fast pace. It burned a huge furrow in the ground as it rushed onwards.

_"Suiton: Mizu no Mayu!" _said the woman forming the bird seal.

Inexplicably, his onrushing ball of fire was covered by water and came rushing back to him. The water surrounding the fire was now boiling, making it even deadlier.

Itachi's Sharingan widened as it analysed the extremely skilled Suiton manipulation. He was not strong enough with Suiton to stop that attack, and did not have time for Katon. Only one option, then.

His eyes morphed into the Mangekyo Sharingan.

"_Amaterasu!"_

The heavenly black flames swallowed up the counterattack of the woman, and Itachi turned his baleful gaze upon her. The fires of Amaterasu materialized instantly in a large torrent in front of the woman and fell upon her.

Itachi looked with surprised eyes as his unquenchable flames were absorbed neatly into the woman.

"_Fuka Hoin. _The strongest fire suppressor there is_." _He said, impressed with her ingenuity.

She slammed her palms together, and Itachi saw her chakra surging like a turbulent sea. A rippling grey cloak of chakra surrounded her lithe form.

"_Fuuinjutsu: Hikari no zettai Shometsu!", _she proclaimed, and pure light began to gather around her, forming into hundreds of weapons.

_Absolute annihilation of the light._

_Light chakra manipulation and sealing techniques combined together. What power…I will have to use that technique. It is the only thing that can repel this, _thought Itachi as his Mangekyo Sharingan shone a menacing red.

The hundreds of weapons impacted Itachi in a multitude, and an extremely large explosion ensued. The ground began to tear up everywhere, and the air became hot with the energy released by the technique.

The woman kept staring at the place where Itachi was attacked by her technique as the smoke cleared. Then she saw something impossible, or rather, something unexpected.

A large skeleton of golden chakra towering to fifty feet encased the Uchiha, holding a burning sword of flames in one hand and a flaming red shield in the other.

Itachi strode forward impassively as the woman gasped in surprise.

"I am afraid it is the end of the line for you" said the Uchiha shortly and the skeleton was now beginning to be covered by sinew of chakra and the sinew was then coated by two layers of Armor, the face of the huge warrior now obscured by the visor.

Only the glowing eyes showed through. The woman stood stock still as she glanced at the weapons the towering warrior of chakra bore.

"So powerful at such a young age, just like Uchiha Madara and…" she said, causing Itachi to stop for a moment in his inexorable advance.

"What did you say?"

"To awaken such a strong _Susano_ completely…to have it manifest the Sword of Totsuka which can seal anything, and the Yata Mirror which can repel all attacks… You are indeed the true heir of the Sharingan, Itachi." She praised in a wondering voice.

Itachi narrowed his eyes and stared at her. This woman knew too much, and had to be eliminated.

The sword of Totsuka swung down at her in a flaming arc, and she raised her hands like a Hyuuga would. Itachi watched closely as Seals appeared on her fingertips.

The woman seemed to brace herself, and then…_she slapped the Sword of Totsuka away_. She then fell down to the ground on her knees, gasping.

Itachi stared at her with absolute astonishment.

"You parried _this _sword? How is it possible?" he whispered. But he observed her and saw that she had lost a large amount of chakra during that parry.

It would evidently be a race of who could hold out longer. He cursed as every cell in his body began to hurt, leading him to cough blood to the ground. Susano was very expensive with just the Mangekyo. He had to finish this, fast.

The Sword of Totsuka swung at her rapidly but the woman formed the seals every time and parried the sword. Each time she did, however, she fell to the earth briefly before she gathered herself again. She raised her hands to finally block the legendary sword, and Itachi saw her lose most of her chakra as his sword was deflected.

She fell to her knees, exhausted completely. His Sharingan observed her chakra levels that were practically non-existent.

His eyes were hurting, and his body was weak by this much use of Susano. He fell to the ground, coughing blood.

He had to release the Susano if he were to live. He still had much to do, too much. So he released the technique and staggered forwards.

The woman too staggered towards him and raised her hands in a sign of peace, weakly. Itachi stopped and stared wearily. His eyes were beginning to lose their sight, as his vision became blurry.

"You remind me of my son so much. He was just like you, sacrificing _everything_ for our village. I see him in you. My husband was right about you…"

Itachi had a suspicion forming in his head as he took support on a tree trunk and stared as the panting woman removed her hood.

A shock of long red hair fell out, revealing a pale and beautifully heart shaped face. It was a face he recognized well. The beautiful face of Uzumaki Mito stared at him with…motherly affection?

"Mito-san…" he whispered with utter surprise.

"Hashirama was right about you, Itachi-kun. You are so much like our son…shall we depart to a safe location? We need to talk."

Itachi just nodded, and the two gathered their remaining strength with a great effort of will to disappear in a burst of speed.

….

Naruto walked leisurely on the road to Konoha with Jiraiya, Shizune and Tsunade accompanying him.

He grinned. Even this grown up version of Tsunade idolized him, it seemed. He remembered her reaction as she learned his identity.

_"…I am Hashirama. The rumours you have heard about me defeating Iwa are true. So…you still have me and Mito left. The Senju clan is still strong with us alive." He finished his tale, recounting the astonishing events of the past months._

_"Ojisan…how can this be? You died…and yet you are back by Minato's mistake? You reborn as Minato's son? What a trick of fate this is…" murmured Tsunade in disbelief. She faced her beloved grandfather, who she thought she would meet only in the afterlife._

_She stared at him with tears flowing continuously down her cheeks. She had to believe it; she had no choice with his story and the facts pointing to it. Not to mention Jiraiya was seriously corroborating everything that had been said._

_The man who had practically raised her in her childhood, who had taught her many things that stayed with her all her life and made her who she was. The man who taught her the meaning of the most important things in life._

_"I am back, Tsunade-chan." He said, and looked at her sadly. "I know you were deeply hurt by Nawaki's death, but that was no reason for you to forsake your comrades. You know of my history…I too lost two of my brothers at a very tender age. I do not mean to belittle your grief, but you must be thankful that you had significant amounts of good memories of Nawaki before he passed. Clan and village are not meant to be forsaken for the sake of personal angst, Tsunade-chan!"_

_Tsunade could hardly believe it as she hung her head in shame. She couldn't look him in the eyes; she knew what he said to be true. Her grandfather truly had experienced much more loss than she had. Still he had never even thought of drowning in his own sorrows as she had._

_"Have you forgotten the love and faith of our Senju clan? Have you forgotten the will of fire my son and you his daughter inherited from me? Does the will not burn in you anymore?" he asked disappointedly._

_Tsunade was deeply hurt by his disappointment. More than words could say. It had taken her grandfather to come back from the dead and drag her back to Konoha. She suddenly felt regret at her utter foolishness for forsaking the village in her pain. She looked into Naruto's forest green eyes that looked decades older than the rest of his body, and flinched._

_She saw Senju Hashirama's eyes looking at her with disappointment, sadness and even understanding. She threw herself into his arms, softly crying. _

_Naruto stroked her hair tenderly, just like he had when she was a little girl._

_"I'm sorry, Ojisan…I'm so sorry. I was so angry when Dan and Nawaki died…it was unbearable. I couldn't bear to see Konoha again, too many bad memories…."_

_Naruto nodded and let her go._

_"The past is unchangeable, Tsunade-chan. The position of Hokage is the greatest honour that can be bestowed upon a Konoha shinobi. It means that you are considered worthy enough to lead the village I founded. Madara refused to be Hokage even when he was given a second chance and spit on our dreams. You know what it led to. So…Will you truly come back to Konoha and become the Godaime Hokage?"_

_Tsunade nodded with resolve causing Naruto to smile. She then frowned quizzically._

_"Ojisan…why don't you just become the Hokage again?"_

_"No, I won't. Akatsuki is a true threat, and I do not need the duties of a Hokage to prevent me from protecting Konoha in my full capacity."_

_Tsunade looked at Naruto with happiness. "You say Mito-obaasan is also back, Ojisan?"_

_Naruto grinned predatorily. "Yes! She is young again with her seventeen year old body. So beautiful. I really need to thank Orochimaru for that before I kill him…"_

_Tsunade now looked happier than ever, as they walked out to re-join Jiraiya and Shizune. Her teammate and apprentice noticed her huge smile and smiled themselves._

_It seemed Konoha would have a good Godaime after all._

Naruto was shaken out of his thoughts as a messenger bird dropped a scroll on his head. He bent down to catch it. Jiraiya and Tsunade looked at him inquisitively, and Shizune was attempting to feed the stubborn Tonton.

He opened the scroll and read,

_My beloved husband,_

_Uchiha Itachi has agreed to your request. I talked him into it after getting into a stalemate of a fight. And you were right, he is extremely strong. I shudder to think of what strength he will possess when he gains the eternal eyes like Madara._

_Be warned, his Susano uses Totsuka no Tsurugi and the Yata mirror. With the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan…the boy might even be a match for _you_ at full strength._

_You chose a great Uchiha. Him and Sasuke will change that accursed clan, Hashirama. And do not worry about me…I plan on staying with Itachi a while longer as we seek his transplants._

_He told me he has his mother's eyes stored in a secret Uchiha base. He plans to take Mikoto's eyes and make his Sharingan eternal. We are currently on our way to that base._

_I will heal Itachi as best as I can, and transplant the eyes on to him. Konoha will be safe for now, with you and Itachi guarding it._

_Itachi and I will part the following morning. He is a great man, Hashirama. He reminds me of our son every second I lay eyes on him…he feels like my son as well._

_I will help him to the best of my ability. Please take care of yourself. I will be back in Konoha in another three days and I look forward to seeing little Tsunade and you again._

_Love,_

_Uzumaki Mito._

Naruto sighed. Itachi had been incredibly noble when he refused power, but it was necessary. When he had shown him the visions proving his identity, he had also shown the older Uchiha his suspicions about Danzo, what he thought of pain and requested Itachi to try and acquire the Eternal Mangekyo somehow.

Itachi had said he would consider it, but Naruto sensed his reluctance. Understandable, seeing as he knew what Madara had become after gaining the Eternal Mangekyo.

He himself had wanted to show Itachi why he needed to get the Eternal Mangekyo, but it was in vain. It had been vital for him to heal Sasuke at the time, so he had let Itachi go.

But Mito could show him the necessity, and Konoha would have its second defender if the need arose. So he had sent her a message immediately.

Sasuke was still developing, so it had to be Itachi. There was no other alternative.

Naruto had to admit, the idea of Uchiha Itachi with the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan was…_very formidable._

…..

**THREE DAYS LATER, KONOHAGAKURE NO SATO**

"They are here, Kushina-sama. Tsunade-sama is back, along with Naruto-san and Jiraiya-sama. The citizens are welcoming the Godaime now…" Izumo said to Kushina urgently before disappearing on his next errand.

Kushina smiled happily on hearing that her son was back, along with Tsunade. He had succeeded, of course he had!

"Let us meet them in near the Hokage tower, Mito. We need to see Tsunade-sama's elevation to Godaime, we can exchange information later in the tower when all of us are gathered."

Mito nodded, looking elated at this turn of events; Tsunade was back and her task was accomplished. Hashirama would be happy.

The two Uzumaki women disappeared, heading towards their about to be completed family.

…..

Naruto and Jiraiya looked at Tsunade, seeing her pride and elation as the Villagers venerated her as the Godaime. Her beautiful face was radiating joy as she saw the village she had so callously abandoned in her grief, welcoming her with all its heart.

Tsunade stepped up to the dais as the council of Konoha approached her solemnly. The villagers were gathered in their thousands, cheering the new Godaime Hokage.

Naruto watched proudly from her side as Homura stepped up and began the ceremony of Tsunade's elevation to Godaime.

"Senju Tsunade, you are chosen by Konoha to be its Godaime Hokage. '_The Hokage is the heart of the village, just as the Shinobi are its lifeblood'_. That was what our Shodai Hokage, Senju Hashirama taught us. Will you be the essence, the heart, the leader of Konoha?" asked Homura.

The thousands of villagers and Shinobi observed solemnly as the ceremony that was as old as the First Hokage happened for the fifth time.

"I will" said Tsunade firmly.

"Then, Senju Tsunade, you are appointed the Godaime Hokage of Konoha, the one who will guide us, protect us, and lead us to prosperity. May you reign be long and great!" said Koharu, placing the Hokage hat of Konoha in Tsunade's hands. Naruto watched as Tsunade wore the Hokage hat for the first time, and he felt proud.

_Three Senju have become Hokage out of five. All three with the same blood as me flowing through their veins._

_You did well to accept, Tsunade-chan. You are strong enough to be Hokage; there is no doubt about it. You will be great as our leader._

He saw Mito and his mother watching from the windows of the Hokage tower as Tsunade turned to the gathered multitude of Konoha's populace. Mito, like him, was wearing an expression of pride and affection as she saw their granddaughter become Hokage. His mother just waved at him happily, and he waved back.

"At the heart of our village, in the hearts of our Shinobi, it is the Hokage who are the guiding light. The one whose strength protects Konoha and keeps it prosperous", said Tsunade as she stared around at the gathered thousands.

"Sarutobi-sensei was one of our greatest Shinobi, giving up everything for the sake of the village. Many other shinobi of our village have immersed themselves in darkness only to protect the light we live in. We have been invaded by Suna and Oto, and we were defended by our great Shinobi. We beat back the invaders, and erased Iwa's strongest army. Sensei defeated Orochimaru utterly before he died, ridding us of another major threat."

The crowd looked proud and reverent as they stared at Naruto, and remembered their great Sandaime at the same time.

"Many more threats loom over our village, and we must grow stronger as a village. I will not allow our village that was founded by the likes of my grandfather Senju Hashirama and the Uchiha patriarch Madara, to be overrun by our enemies. The clans of our great village will work together with our shinobi, and we _will _realize the great dream of peace Hashirama dreamt for us! This I swear as the Godaime Hokage!"

The crowd cheered madly, and the shinobi flared their chakra in response. Naruto could feel the change in the village as Tsunade assumed the mantle he himself had worn for so many years.

_You would be so proud of your daughter, my son. Just as your mother and I will always be proud of you._

….

**HOKAGE TOWER, KONOHA**

Kakashi, Mito, Kushina, Jiraiya, Tsunade and Naruto had assembled in the Hokage's private offices after Tsunade's ceremony. The seal of privacy had been activated, giving them absolute concealment.

"Glad to see you have come to your senses, Tsunade. You were always a stubborn one." Mito commented, examining Tsunade with a discerning eye.

Tsunade blushed faintly and nodded. Then her eyes firmed and she looked at the gathered ninja seriously.

"Much has changed in Konoha, and the balance of power is shifting very fast in the nations. The next few years will be extremely vital to the growth of Shinobi as a whole. Grandfather has told me all about Akatsuki, and they are the pressing issue here. We must respond fast to their threat. Jiraiya, what is the status of that group?"

Jiraiya gathered his thoughts for a moment.

"Suna is responding erratically to our messages, and Iwa is currently closed to us in all channels. Ame is becoming increasingly hostile as well. We would do well to assume that Akatsuki is now involving itself in international and political affairs. If we cannot control the situation…then we must be ready for it."

Mito nodded, looking at Naruto.

"Hashirama, Itachi now possesses the eternal Mangekyo as you had wished for him to. He burnt off his blinding cloth with _Amaterasu_ easily. He will be an extremely formidable ally to our village."

Tsunade shivered slightly when Mito herself addressed Naruto as Hashirama. She steepled her fingers behind her desk, considering the problem that the Akatsuki posed.

"The Akatsuki have extremely powerful Ninja under them. You could probably wipe them all out easily, couldn't you, Ojisan?" she asked Naruto hopefully.

"I could deal with the lesser Akatsuki easily enough, but the higher members, especially Pain, are very powerful Shinobi. I refuse to underestimate the Sage's eyes, and I can face all nine at once, but only after I have my full power back. I need to get to that fast…"

"Which is why you insisted on Itachi getting the eternal eyes? To insure Konoha's protection when you were gone?" Kakashi asked.

"Hashirama never takes chances with the village, Kakashi-kun. He may be the strongest ninja since the Six Path sage, but Konoha was not built with arrogance, nor preserved by it. It is prudence and planning that has made our village stand proud for this long" lectured Mito.

Jiraiya looked to Tsunade. "Hime, we should solidify our alliances fast. Suna and Iwa are in a state of hostility against our village, and Akatsuki still roams the land free. We need a counter for them, our own organization within the village. Something to respond to Akatsuki should they make another move."

Kushina, who had quietly observed the proceedings, spoke up as the group considered the idea carefully.

"Such a group would have to consist of our most powerful Shinobi, except Hokage-sama. Until my son finishes his training, the group must be on standby against any Akatsuki threat."

Naruto walked to the centre of the room with Mito at his side. The legendary couple examined the new generation of Konoha's shinobi. Naruto turned to Tsunade.

"Tsunade, who would you have in that group?"

Tsunade replied immediately. "Not you, Ojisan. You will leave to train. Konoha will be unassailable with the full strength of Senju Hashirama on its side. That automatically eliminates Mito-obaasan and Kushina as they will be going with you."

Naruto nodded, as did Mito and Kushina. Jiraiya said,

"Kakashi, Gai and me will join the group. My intelligence network is now autonomous enough for me to complete other missions. Perhaps we should include Kumo and Kiri in this venture?"

Tsunade's face lit up.

"Excellent idea, Jiraiya! The organization of this team will be our highest priority. Three from Kumo, three from Kiri and three from Konoha will form the response team to the Akatsuki."

"We will somehow need to get this news to Itachi-kun" pondered Mito. Naruto agreed.

"Yes. I will not leave Itachi out of the loop. He is Konoha's second most powerful Shinobi, after me. And unflinchingly loyal. If what my wife says is true, then he will be the only one with strength enough to stop the true Pain besides me."

"I agree with Naruto. Now, what to do about Sasuke-kun?" asked Kushina with concern.

"Is he stable? Has the Mangekyo had any adverse effects on his psyche?" Naruto asked his mother.

"I believe so…he has already had great trauma in his life. The Mangekyo Sharingan has increased his depression even more. He should never have awakened it this early. Itachi made a foolish mistake giving him those eyes…" she said sharply.

Naruto watched amused as his wife vehemently defended Itachi's actions.

"Itachi-kun was only making contingencies for the village's and his clan's survival! Kushina, would you not do the same if it meant the survival of the Uzumaki and Konoha?" she asked heatedly.

The rest watched as Kushina slowly wilted under Mito's stare. The younger Uzumaki woman nodded with slow agreement.

"I…suppose I would. But Sasuke is also like a son to me, almost as much as Naruto. They should never have had such misery in their life…" she whispered sadly.

"The Uchiha treasure love more than anyone, Kaa-san. You don't know what happened to Madara when my brother killed Izuna. He went mad with lust for power and revenge. Hatred consumes those Uchiha whose love is lost. In this matter…I side with Itachi. I too would do anything to keep my brother safe and strong, to keep my clan alive and to keep my village standing" Naruto said sadly.

Tsunade however spoke.

"Anyway, let us discuss what overtures we have to make to Kiri. Kushina, I believe you are very familiar with the Godaime Mizukage…"

They continued their plans. Konoha would _not _fall to Akatsuki or anyone else.

…

**AKATSUKI BASE, UNKNOWN LOCATION**

"Senju Tsunade, the medic Sannin, has become the Hokage of Konoha. Zetsu reports that Konoha has begun to gather power actively under her direction. Uzumaki Mito, Kushina, Naruto and others met yesterday with the Hokage to hold conference, but Zetsu was unable to breach their guarding seal. We cannot oppose the strength of Konoha with a guarantee of our victory. So… our approach this time will be militaristic" said Pain in his deep voice, looking around at the gathered members of the Akatsuki.

They had gathered physically this time.

"Konoha is allied with Kiri and Kumo. Suna and Iwa hate Konoha and we will use that hatred against them all. Deidara, what was the Tsuchikage's decision?"

Deidara snickered. "The old man is with us a hundred percent and accepted all our conditions. We can begin building our bases in Iwa somewhat legally."

"Good. We control Suna anyway, and I control Amegakure. We will begin to array the strength of the other minor villages on our side in the next three years, and also capture what Jinchuuriki we can. Konoha will eventually understand along with the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki the consequences of angering god."

Kakuzu looked at Pain. "All fine and good, but we need details and facts for our missions."

"Tobi will bring my orders to all of you, individually. Let us disperse."

The Akatsuki walked towards the exit, but Pain appeared in front of Itachi who was the last to leave.

"Do you really believe I cannot sense your unbelievably drastic increase in strength, Itachi? My Rinnegan is the strongest Doujutsu in existence. What happened to your Mangekyo?" questioned Pain in an impassive voice.

Itachi did not answer and just stared at Pain, evaluating and considering. Space distorted into a compressing spiral as the Orange masked Tobi appeared in the room beside the Uchiha.

"Answer him, Itachi, or you will not be leaving here alive. We know that Sasuke is fine, his eyes are also fine. How did you do it?" he questioned in a menacing and deep voice, all signs of infuriating childishness melting away.

Itachi turned to him slowly.

"My secrets are mine, and mine alone…Uchiha Madara" he said with a very faint undertone of mocking in his voice. Pain's Rinnegan blazed.

"How do you know of Tobi's identity, Itachi?" he asked impassively.

"I can recognize his Sharingan. I felt it on the day of the Uchiha massacre when he chose to aid me. I never forget an Uchiha whose Sharingan I have seen."

Tobi clapped appreciatively.

"Yes. I too have that talent, young Itachi. Now, I remember the feeling of your Mangekyo very well. But it seems your eyes have now evolved to…Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan?"

Itachi's Sharingan began to shine malevolently as he faced Pain and Tobi across the Gedo Statue.

"I told you. My secrets are mine alone. Akatsuki needs my power and loyalty, not my secrets. But I will tell you this, Madara. My eyes _are _eternal now, supposedly like yours."

Pain and Itachi stared as Tobi began laughing heartily. The masked man slowly walked to Itachi and clapped him on the back in a comradely fashion.

"The second person ever to awaken the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan…the blood of Madara Uchiha runs strongly in you, Itachi. You will be of great use to Akatsuki, of great use indeed. Prepare yourself for your mission…" he said with authority.

Itachi raised a quizzical eyebrow. His Sharingan picked up traces of…pride…in the impostor. Odd.

"I will tell you on our way" said Pain with his Rinnegan blazing as he walked to stand beside Itachi.

"You…?"

"Yes. My Rinnegan and your Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan can achieve anything when used together. No one can stand against us. We will be the final power of Akatsuki, and we shall step in only when our goals are in jeopardy. I will be your partner from now on…"

Tobi nodded. "Yes. Pain will tell you of his true state and a little about his history if you are to be his partner in such a capacity. And you will know of our plan. Welcome to the highest echelons of Akatsuki, Uchiha Itachi."

Itachi slightly nodded, keeping his face free of any and all expressions or emotion. He was in.

_But I suspect Tobi knows a lot more about me than he lets on, and I can perceive that he is trying to use me to get something. I must be careful…_

…

Kushina, Naruto and Mito all walked down the silent lanes of Konoha. It was late in the evening, and the civilians were all in their homes.

The lights were shining in the entire village, and the quietness was calming. Naruto wrapped an arm around Mito's shoulders and hugged her to his side. Kushina watched wistfully as they saw the love shining in the eyes of the great couple.

"Why do you let Itachi-kun call you by your real name, Hashirama?" questioned Mito softly, looking up at her husband.

"Yes I've noticed that as well, Naruto. You let some people call you Naruto, and some call you Hashirama. Does it not spark conflict in your mind?" Kushina asked worriedly.

Naruto considered, pondering his answer for several minutes. He looked at his two most precious people and replied:

"Yes. People from my past life, such as Mito-chan, know me as Hashirama. People from this life know me as Naruto. Some, like Hiruzen, knew me as both. The truth is, I have accepted the fact that I don't really know who I am…."

"What do you mean, Hashirama?"

"How can I best explain it?…when I awakened my old life, I became Hashirama. But I am also Naruto. I am both of them and none of them at the same time, I became someone new. You remember how angry I got at Iwa, don't you?" asked Naruto.

Kushina and Mito both shivered and nodded. No one who witnessed that battle would ever forget it. It was seared in their minds forever.

Naruto continued, looking introspective.

"As Hashirama, I was never roused so quickly. In this life, Hiruzen was the only one I could take comfort from- "

At this, Kushina let out a soft sob. Naruto encircled his mother in the embrace of his left arm as they sat down on the park bench.

"Don't be sad, Kaa-san. I do not like what had to be done, but I have made my peace with it. As I was saying…When Hiruzen died, I felt anger such as I have never felt before. That was what I used to feel as purely Naruto. I had very few people I could call precious when I was just Naruto, so I tend to protect them much more viciously. Even now. I suppose I can understand a little of what the Uchiha feel as their love is destroyed…"

Naruto looked at Mito, who seemed to be thinking hard.

"Mito, you knew me as Hashirama. I am Hashirama, yes, but no longer am I only Hashirama." He turned to his mother. "Nor am I only Naruto. I am both of them and more than both of them combined. I am a new person, and that is why I said I don't know who I am. I am still discovering myself."

"But Hashirama, You did not answer my original question" reminded Mito gently.

Naruto sighed. "Yes. You see…I truly admire Itachi. He is a shinobi who is truly a beacon for this generation. His high ideals are something every shinobi should try to emulate."

Mito and Kushina nodded at this. It was quite true, what Naruto had said.

"Itachi lives in a world of Shadows and Darkness, hate and deception. I could see that the life he was living was really taking a toll on him. Itachi understands many things about the village's origins, he understood the truth of the history between me and Madara. He understands much about the truth of the Senju and Uchiha. That is why I knew he would take hope in the fact that I walked the world again, and was sharing his burden. We both love Konoha in the same way, and would give up anything for it"

Mito interrupted him. "You did a good thing, Hashirama. I could see that Itachi's depression was lifting every time he mentioned your name."

Naruto nodded sadly.

"Depression heightens the power of the Mangekyo; it is the natural consequence of those eyes. The one who bears the Mangekyo craves power, and the eyes feed from the depression it creates in its bearer. It is a vicious cycle of hatred, one that drove Madara mad."

"Itachi's will of fire is strong indeed to have remained so pure for that long…"murmured Kushina, amazed.

"It is. That is why I wanted Itachi to get the Eternal eyes, rather than Sasuke. I know that Sasuke can be great, but he must first heal himself. Itachi's mind however is a lot more advanced and he is ready to be the Uchiha that Konoha needs. I only wait for the day Itachi can stand openly by our side as Konoha's protector along with Sasuke…"

Naruto's face hardened in resolve. Kushina and Mito stood as well, looking at him solemnly.

"We will need to plan our next three years. Besides training, I wish to see how all the other nations are faring, and the state of the Shinobi world as a whole. We need to talk to Tsunade tomorrow and leave as soon as possible. I can feel that events will come to a head in a few years, and I must be ready for it."

The three disappeared towards Naruto's apartment.

…..

Sasuke's Sharingan flashed red as he browsed feverishly through the scrolls in the Nakano shrine. He rarely left the place now, as he was seeking insight into the Uchiha clan and what better way to start than the records of the Uchiha themselves.

The moment he had begun to question Itachi's actions was the moment he had begun to question what exactly he knew of his clan.

Up to now, he had simply been parroting what his elders had taught him about the Uchiha. He _knew _nothing about his clan. Its true origins. Its purpose and philosophies.

_What the Sharingan truly was._

He remembered Itachi sitting in the same archives and poring over scrolls day and night. So he was retracing his brother's path, hoping to find answers.

He tossed away a scroll that held records of one of the battles between the Uchiha and Senju, and picked up a scroll bordered in gold thread.

_Commercial Ventures and assets of the Uchiha._

Sasuke scoffed, and was about to cast the scroll away when his Sharingan picked up a slight wavering in its fabric. Intrigued, he laid open the scroll in its entirety on his table and observed closely with his Sharingan.

_There_. That slight wavering in the fabric. It was a very subtle Genjutsu, but very strong. Sasuke's Sharingan could only just see through it.

_I can break through this easily._

The Mangekyo Sharingan shone in Sasuke's eyes as he saw through the Genjutsu on the scroll. The illusion broke and the writings reformed into neat new script. He began to read.

_I am Madara Uchiha. The one who reads this scroll bears the Mangekyo Sharingan. Greetings, true blooded Uchiha. This is my final word to my traitorous clan as I leave the village, betrayed by all._

The ancestor of the Uchiha, one of the founders of Konoha. Sasuke could not contain his eagerness and awe as he read the manuscript his feared ancestor had concealed.

_We have been side lined in the hierarchy of Konoha. Curse the weak Uchiha who betrayed me and sided with the Senju! Our once proud clan will be the lapdogs of the Senju!_

_Hashirama is so strong that except me, no one can stand against him. I sometimes wonder… is he the Rikodou Sennin reborn? How can anyone be so strong? He defeated me utterly in our final fight._

_We tore the earth apart, and the heavens themselves churned in response to the magnitude of our fight. But my Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan made no difference to Hashirama, and he defeated me easily._

_But we struck an accord with each other after Hashirama was even ready to kill himself to prove his trustworthiness. He is the only Senju I admire._

_But I could see the natural order of the world asserting itself in Konoha. Our clan which had been beaten in every way by the Senju was being seen as inferior. Our eyes demanded respect, but the villagers knew that in front of Hashirama's strength, we were nothing._

_I tried once again to stoke the hatred of our clan, putting forth my arguments._

_But it meant nothing to those traitorous vermin. My brother's sacrifice was voided by their cowardice. Now, I am leaving Konoha to seek understanding and power._

_Power to defeat Senju Hashirama at last, and wrest Konoha from the wretched hands of the Senju. _

_But I understand one thing. My will of Hatred will live on secretly in the Uchiha clan, just as the Senju will of Fire will shine brightly in Konoha. _

_I predict that the Senju will oppress our clan without us even knowing it. Tobirama was always resentful of us. When Hashirama passes, it will be Tobirama with the Hokage title. Then, the Uchiha will wither._

_I have read our secret tablet with my eternal Mangekyo, and I will share with no one the secrets and understanding I have gained. _

_Hashirama will fall before my eyes…in our next fight…_

_Or sometime later. But he will fall. There is no doubt about it. _

Sasuke could not take his eyes off the scroll as he finished Madara's monologue. Then his Mangekyo Sharingan picked up even more wavering in Madara's scroll.

_A second layer of the Genjutsu. If it weren't for these eyes.._

His Mangekyo shone a menacing red as he broke the second layer. His breathing quickened as he read the title.

_First meeting under Fugaku, head of the Uchiha clan._

He continued reading the scroll, and he could not _believe_ what he was reading. His mind was furiously churning in agitation, and he began sweating.

_Impossible. HOW CAN THIS BE?_

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:**

**Okay, time for another clarification session.  
I am getting comments saying Itachi cannot beat Hashirama. Systematic argument time.  
**

**1. Mito never said Itachi could 'beat' Hashirama, only match him. Match him as in hold out against him for a while.**

**2. I would recommend that you view EMS as a Multi dimensional upgrade, not a linear upgrade like super saiyan 2 in DBZ which produces a bigger KAMEHAMEHA. It basically changes the bearer to another person entirely.**

**3. The eternal eyes demands little chakra when it uses any of its powers. It is a massive leap over the highly chakra-draining Mangekyo. So Itachi will have nigh unlimited use of the Yata Mirror, Sword of Kotsuka and his other Susano weapons.**

**4. "Itachi cannot match Madara". Interesting assumption. Itachi can manifest _Yata Mirror _and _sword of Totsuka_ with just his Mangekyo. Madara's susano just had a sword which he says is powerful, but Hashirama's wood hands caught it easily.**

**On the other hand, it is a confirmed fact that whatever is cut by the Totsuka sword is toast. The Yata Mirror can repel _all _attacks. Imagine unlimited use of these weapons in the hands of a tactical genius and true heir of Sharingan like Itachi. Who knows what improvements the EMS will give to Itachi's already ridiculously powerful Susano? Not to mention what it will add to his great expertise of Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu.**

** I think it is safe to assume that an Itachi with EMS will MATCH Hashirama. Not beat him but MATCH him. I never said anything about beating anybody.**

**Regarding Itachi getting EMS from Mikoto's eyes:**

**BOTH EYES HAVE TO BE INTEGRATED TOGETHER TO FORM THE ETERNAL MANGEKYO. AN EXCHANGE WOULD _NOT_ WORK.**

**AND SIBLINGS ARE JUST THE BEST MATCH, NOT THE ONLY ONE.**

**I hope that clears up things.**

**Regards,**

**Karldin.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Thank you for your great encouragement, dear readers. Real life is a real bitch when it comes to updating.**

**Enjoy!**

**Regards,**

**Karldin.**

CHAPTER 12

"We may only have a non-aggression pact with Kumo but we have to deepen that alliance. Sarutobi-sensei laid the groundwork well. We need to build on it as fast as possible", Tsunade said to the assembled council.

They were all here. All the great clans of Konoha were represented by their respective clan heads, save for the Uchiha. The aftermath of the invasion weighed heavily on the upper hierarchy of Konoha, causing them to assemble and take decisions on the village's future.

"Kumo is hardly trustworthy, Hokage-sama. They are traitorous dogs who break their word at the drop of a hat. We have seen this for ourselves. What guarantee do we have that the Raikage won't dishonour our agreement the same way he did when he authorized Hinata's kidnapping?" Hiashi asked in a cold voice.

Some shinobi in the room were nodding their heads, mostly Hyuuga Jounin. It had affected the Hyuuga clan deeply when they were forced to sacrifice the Branch family head to preserve the _Byakugan_'s secrets.

Tsunade looked at Naruto, who stood up and faced Hiashi calmly.

"You speak the truth, Hiashi-san. They may very well try to dishonour our treaty when it conveniences them. Ninja have never been ones for honor, have we? We protect what is ours at all costs even if everything else burns."

Mito watched with rapt attention as her husband began to gather the support of the clans. Hashirama was always very charismatic, in speech and action. _The opposite of Madara_, she thought. Madara was forceful, convincing his subordinates with his awe-inspiring strength. But Hashirama…

"But then-"Hiashi began to reply.

"There is one thing, Hiashi-san, which you have forgotten. The Raikage will have heard the truth of Naruto's actions on the battlefield. To beat Onoki _and _his army simultaneously is no mean feat as you well know. He will be afraid to oppose Konoha with what strength Kumo has now. I assume that is why the non-aggression pact was inked to last for just three years, enough time for Kumo to gather its strength. Only when Kumo is at her full might will the Raikage try to lean out of his neutrality" finished Tsunade.

"What if he is favouring Akatsuki all this time, and simply keeping Konoha out of the picture till he is ready?" Yamanaka Inoichi questioned with a sombre face.

"Unlikely. As far as we know, Akatsuki have no foothold in Kumo. Jiraiya-sama, to your knowledge have Kumo hired Akatsuki even once?", Kakashi asked.

"No. They have never hired Akatsuki in any capacity. We need have no worry about them turning to Akatsuki. But that begs the question. Why the three years of non-agression? And if Tsunade is right, why would they need to gather strength so fast?" Jiraiya pondered.

The council wondered silently at this question. They would need to profile the Raikage perfectly if they were to take any decision on the Kumo alliance.

Naruto thought deeply. He had been the very first Kage, and he tried to put himself in the Raikage's shoes. If he were Kumo's Kage, what would he do?

The answer came to him naturally, decades of leading Konoha coming to the forefront.

"I think…" Naruto said loudly, causing the council members to look his way. "I think the Raikage does not want to make any alliances under threat of another nation's power. Konoha is very strong right now, and Kumo frantically making alliances would reek of weakness. That would be very bad for their business. Making a non-aggression pact, however, undermines them in no way especially when Hiruzen was the one that initiated it."

Tsunade's face lit up in comprehension. "Of course, only after gathering power as best as he can will the Raikage be ready for an alliance. He won't compromise Kumo's business at any cost. Allying out of fear with our village will lose them their clientele…"

"All fine and good, but how do we get Kumo to give members to the Akatsuki response team? That is all we really want out of this alliance!" exclaimed Chouza.

Tsunade's face calmed as she considered the problem.

"We will have to send our shinobi to convince him of the threat, and form the team. I think it best if Naruto goes. The Raikage is aware of his reputation, and he will take the proposal seriously. Kumo respects strength much like the Uchiha."

Naruto nodded in assent. He would do everything in his power to keep the Village safe during his extended absence.

"Kushina, you must depart to Kiri to negotiate our proposal. The Godaime Mizukage is a friend of Konoha and to you, and it seems we can count on her succour. What do you say?"

"I agree, Hokage-sama. Mei is a long time comrade of mine, and she will give fair hearing to any proposal of Konoha. I will leave within three days", said the beautiful Uzumaki woman.

Tsunade nodded with satisfaction, as did the elders and the rest of the council.

Naruto and Mito stiffened. From the Uchiha compound emanated a chakra which was unpleasantly familiar. The couple could sense the chakra clearly; it was cold and blazed with hatred and grief.

**_"MANGEKYO SHARINGAN!"_** roared Kurama in the vaults of Naruto's mind.

Sasuke was suffering, and his Sharingan was reflecting it. Naruto and Mito glanced at each other even as they felt the chakra from the Mangekyo Sharingan increasing rapidly. It reeked of hatred. Of course, its malice was not even close to Madara's but it was alarming considering the fact that it was Sasuke who was emitting that chakra.

_He must have found out the truth about Itachi. But how…I kept sensing him at the Nakano shrine all this while. Not good, he should never have gotten the truth this soon and by himself. I always intended for Itachi to tell him the unvarnished truth. _

"Hokage-sama, an urgent matter has come to our attention. Please excuse us", requested Naruto.

"What-?" questioned Kushina.

_Sasuke's chakra is increasing. At this rate, he may release his anger on the village. I need to leave, fast._

"Kaa-san, finish the discussion of your mission to Kiri. It is important" whispered Naruto to Kushina. If Sasuke was too far gone, he might even attack Kushina.

_He will never forgive himself if he does that,_ thought Naruto. He would let his mother meet Sasuke only after he was calmer and willing to listen. He knew all too well the mad rage of a Mangekyo Sharingan user. Nothing would reach them except force.

The entire assembly stared at this odd interruption, as did Tsunade. But when she saw the urgency in her Grandfather's eyes, she knew he was not playing. It truly was important. She nodded her assent.

_Whatever it is, Grandfather will take care of it. I must concentrate on Kumo and the Village council._

Naruto and Mito disappeared without a sound.

…..

Sasuke's anger spiked and the black fires of _Amaterasu_ burnt the table into ashes, leaving the documents upon it intact. His Mangekyo Sharingan caused him to leak chakra, a manifestation of his chaotically churning emotions.

_Brother, why did you give up so much for the village? Why? You were used cruelly by both Uchiha and Konoha, and yet you chose Konoha in the end. What is so special about Konoha that you saw fit to massacre our entire clan for it? Mother, Father…_

Sasuke's eyes were shedding tears of blood, his face contorted in grief. He could not grasp the truth. The Uchiha were all dead, dead because of the politics of an indifferent village. He lived alone, memories of his tortures and his parents' bodies assaulting him every night.

_Only it was not torture, was it? You chose to spare me in your extermination. You gave me the will to awaken the Sharingan, even if it is Hatred._

Itachi, his beloved brother, had taken on the burdens of two selfish groups of Shinobi and suffered for it. From what he read in the records the Uchiha were planning a coup, intending to overthrow the Hokage and the entire administration.

_Brother, you should have taken me with you. This village does not deserve you and neither did our clan. Fools. They had to go and tear our family apart._

A fresh batch of tears made their way down his cheeks as he thought of the happy memories he had of Itachi. His rage grew as he thought of what had been taken from him.

They had been inseparable. He had adored Itachi more than anyone else. His older brother had been his role model, his idol, the one he wanted to impress above all others. The one who mattered to him above all others.

His eyes blazed red as he thought of what had become of him. For years, he had thrown his complete hatred at Itachi. But it turned out now that Itachi was merely acting in the interests of Konoha.

_Konoha. It always came down to Konoha. They were the ones who ordered the extermination of my clan. The records say Itachi was working for ROOT, a division of the ANBU headed by Danzo Shimura._

He walked out of the shrine, eyes permanently at Mangekyo Sharingan. His tears had ceased, leaving his anger to smoulder like lava. There was one group of Shinobi who oversaw all the decisions made by the Hokage.

The council of three, consisting of Mitokado Homura, Utatane Koharu and Shimura Danzo.

_The Sandaime is dead. The only ones who know the full truth of the massacre are the council of three. I will tear my answers from them, they who dared to massacre the Uchiha. They were the ones who saw fit to make me and my brother orphans. _

He travelled through the village in a series of _shunshin,_ barely keeping his mind together in his grief and rage.

_I will make them pay, brother. For what they did to you and me, I will make them all pay. One day, I will seek out everyone responsible for the massacre, and massacre them. This is my vow as a shinobi and Uchiha._

…

Naruto and Mito followed the trail of Sasuke's chaotic chakra towards the south quarter of the Village, a ways away from the Uchiha compound. Sadness wormed into his heart as he and Mito fled towards Sasuke.

The young Uchiha was always meant to hear the truth from Itachi. Who knows what twisted facts had been given to Sasuke. Naruto winced as he felt an increase in Sasuke's grief. It reminded him painfully of when he had lost Itama.

"Sasuke is already at the quarters of Homura. I believe he wishes to get the truth from one of the three. They won't stand for such insubordination, Hashirama. Sasuke will be declared nuke-nin if he attacks them. Itachi's work will all be for naught if that happens!", exclaimed Mito worriedly.

Naruto flared his senses and saw that Sasuke had stopped at the entrance to Homura's house. Unfortunately, the council of three were absent from the day's meeting. Homura would be at his place of residence, vulnerable to Sasuke's anger.

"We need to find him and talk him down immediately. If Sasuke experiences anymore grief…if his love is destroyed completely…"

"Then a new Madara will be born", finished Mito. She took Naruto's hand, and the two disappeared towards Sasuke's location.

…..

The afternoon wind blew in the streets of Konoha. The village was relatively empty, the civilians taking to their houses in the wake of a hot summer.

Three masked ANBU appeared in front of Sasuke as he stood before the opulent residence of Mitokado Homura. His face was schooled into impassiveness, not betraying the smouldering anger within.

"I wish to see Homura-sama. It is important."

The ANBU in the centre stepped forward, keeping his mask on. He had a hand upon his sword, as did his colleagues. The three exuded a sense of danger, their experience and power apparent to Sasuke's eyes.

"Homura-sama is unavailable, Uchiha-san. If there is a message, I will be glad to deliver it to the councillor. Is there anything you want to tell him?"

Sasuke's eyes burned red. "I wish to _see_ him, NOW!"

"Calm yourself, Sasuke-san! A Chuunin makes no demands of ANBU. Homura-sama is far above your station and deserves your respect! How dare you come before us and demand to see him so brashly?"

Sasuke's face went blank.

"You think yourself above me? Don't delude yourself. As the last Uchiha, I demand audience with Homura." he asked coldly.

"You are in no position to make demands of your superiors. Withdraw now, and your transgression will be forgotten. The clans are beneath the council of three, Uchiha Sasuke" said another ANBU.

Sasuke's eyes widened at his audacity. After what he had read, this was the _last_ thing to be said to him.

"_Beneath them, are we?" _he whispered dangerously. Rage and despair obliterated all reason, the desire for revenge consuming everything in him.

"_Amaterasu!"_

The arrogant ANBU screamed as he was roasted alive by the unquenchable heavenly flames. He swept his eyes over them, and the other two ANBU were aflame as well. Kicking aside the convulsing and burning trio he made his way towards his target.

Time to deal with Homura. If he was indeed the one who gave the order for the massacre…Sasuke would make him suffer. Only then would he move on to Koharu and Danzo. He scowled as _Amaterasu_ burnt another hostile ANBU to ash floating in the wind.

_I will cleanse corruption from this village with the same eyes you gave me, nii-san._

"Stop, Sasuke."

Sasuke turned and saw an unwelcome sight. His friend Naruto and the woman Mito were standing side by side. His flames were gone completely, leaving two badly burnt ANBU and one moderately burnt. The ANBU in relatively good condition disappeared. Sasuke spat blood as he looked down at his opponent's Katana buried in his gut.

He coughed blood as Mito appeared to support him. He could see the compassion and sadness in her lovely face as she staunched the flow of blood from his wound.

"Enough!" said Naruto firmly as he finished healing the two ANBU. Thick Vines sprouted from the ground, restraining the ANBU as he moved in for a finishing blow against Sasuke.

Sasuke got up with difficulty and began staggering towards Homura's location again. Naruto appeared in front of him and laid two fingers on his neck.

He saw Naruto looking at him sadly as the blackness consumed him. He gave into it willingly as it washed away his suffering.

…

The meeting was over, and Tsunade was informed of Sasuke's mental upheaval. Kakashi and Jiraiya had joined Mito, Kushina, Tsunade and Naruto in waiting for Sasuke to wake.

"How was it possible for Sasuke to get the truth? S-class secrets are concealed in a room with highest sealing security, and require both the Hokage's authorization and the council's to access. No one can possibly penetrate the security of that room. Unless…" trailed of Kushina, a contemplative look upon her face.

"Unless the perpetrator knows of those secrets. The only other way to know of an S-class secret is to be part of the event that spawned those secrets. Itachi definitely did not put those documents there, which means that someone else did. The only other one involved in the massacre was the impostor. The impostor was the one who put those documents there", said Naruto, looking around seriously at the gathered Shinobi.

"Impostor?" questioned Jiraiya. The others looked interested.

"Fourteen years ago, for some reason, there was an Uchiha who awoke the bloodlust of the Kyuubi with his Mangekyo Sharingan. He was the cause of the Kyuubi attack. My father defeated both him and the Kyuubi in combat, causing him to flee in defeat", said Naruto, pausing to gather his thoughts.

"Whom did he impersonate?" questioned Tsunade with trepidation.

"Uchiha Madara." Answered Naruto grimly. The others gasped, shocked at the answer. Madara's very name led to death and destruction, such was the terror he inspired in the hearts of Shinobi the world over.

Jiraiya questioned him with doubt marring his face.

"Is it possible that he really is Madara?"

"Impossible. I killed Madara in our final battle. This man is an impostor, and Itachi told me that he was helped by the impostor to end the Uchiha clan during his final mission. This impostor is pulling strings from the shadows, even Pain defers to him for some reason. Ero-sennin, can you give me the document Sasuke was reading?" Naruto requested.

Jiraiya handed over Madara's letter to Naruto, who read it in a few seconds. He handed over the letter to Mito with a shocked face. Mito's expression became shocked as well.

"What happened, Naruto?" questioned Kushina worriedly.

"This handwriting is definitely Madara's. The impostor should definitely have access to Madara's writings. My old friend invented some extremely dangerous techniques and in the wrong hands, they can be very damaging", said Naruto.

"Hashirama is right. We have to oppose Akatsuki with the assumption that this impostor knows the Uchiha Kinjutsu. That is not good at all…" pondered Mito with a deep frown on her face.

"Why did he put those writings and truths there anyway?" asked Jiraiya.

"He meant to unbalance Sasuke, I think. A Mangekyo user was rare even in the old days. Now, they are precious. It was to engender hatred against Konoha in Sasuke so he could be manipulated into Akatsuki's side. He obviously did not count on me influencing Sasuke. The will of fire is too strong in him, now" said Naruto with satisfaction.

"How can you say that, Ojisan? He attacked Homura at his own house!" exclaimed Tsunade.

"Yes, he did. But I could sense in him no hatred against Konoha as a whole. He rightly wanted to kill only those responsible for his clan's extinction! It is not feasible to our village, but from a Shinobi's perspective you have to admit it right."

Everyone fell silent at these words. It _was _a wonder that Sasuke had not turned his rage on the entirety of Konoha. It spoke volumes of the young man's moral fibre.

A groan at the makeshift bed woke them up. Kushina had insisted firmly that they all be there to watch over Sasuke, and that Sasuke rest in the security of a sealed Hokage's chamber.

They watched solemnly as Sasuke sat up groggily and opened his eyes. The moment he saw who he was facing, the anger on his face receded. A look of absolute despair stole across his face.

Kushina, unable to bear her adopted son's suffering, rushed to him and hugged him tightly. Sasuke began to shed tears silently at this forgotten gesture of affection. The loss on his face deepened even more as he thought of his destroyed family and clan.

"Brother…"he whispered brokenly. Kushina hugged him tighter, whispering soothing words to him.

"It's alright, Sasuke-kun. It's alright…", she slowly released him from her embrace, looking at him tenderly. Sasuke looked at them all, noting their expressions.

"I only wanted answers from Homura, Hokage-sama. True answers. A manuscript, however authentic cannot be fully trusted. As for the ANBU, I only wished to get past them. You know that you can't do that if you fail to attack with deadly force. ANBU are lethal."

"I understand, Sasuke. I am willing to overlook your actions this once, for Konoha itself is not blameless. Now, consider your answer carefully. You know the truth of Itachi's past-"

"No I don't blame all of Konoha. It was the actions of a select few that brought about our tragedy, and I blame only those few. And if my brother saw fit to sacrifice everything for Konoha, then who am I to trample upon his legacy?" asked Sasuke with grief written all over his face. There was no way he would risk the bonds he had made with Naruto, Kushina-san, and others in search of an empty revenge. Regret filled him at what he had almost lost in his vendetta against Homura.

"What?" Tsunade could barely contain her surprise. That was an answer she truly did not expect.

Naruto and Kushina looked proud, and Mito looked approving. Sasuke was maturing rapidly and thinking logically.

_You could have learned from your descendants, Madara. These two brothers are superior to you and Izuna in so many ways. Maybe even in power. Definitely in their thoughts and loyalty._

"I was foolish to completely believe the words in a piece of paper. It may fit the events, but the fact remains that writings can say anything. Only my brother knows what truly happened", Sasuke pondered. His rage was cooling down as he considered the facts.

"That is what I told you before, Sasuke-kun. The part about Itachi sacrificing the Uchiha to keep Konoha's peace is quite true. But the motivations behind the acts of the Uchiha clan go very deep; you must ask Itachi and him alone. Before you make decisions on information from some unknown third source, make sure that source is authentic. No source is more authentic than your brother", admonished Kushina gently.

Sasuke considered, the resolve in his face mounting.

"I have to meet him. My mind won't be at peace till I hear the truth from my brother. I have to meet him and learn the truth from him" said Sasuke desperately.

Naruto nodded. It was up to Sasuke to decide upon his next course of action as this was entirely an Uchiha affair. All he could do was arm the young Uchiha with information.

"Listen carefully, Sasuke. Let me tell you of the what truly happened during the Kyuubi attack-"

"I heard everything about the impostor, Naruto. I was awake by then, you people did not notice me till I made the sound", said Sasuke.

Mito and Naruto grinned. Kushina and Tsunade were looking at Sasuke with pride and amazement still colouring their faces, unable to believe the maturity with which Sasuke was handling the situation. This generation of Uchiha were extraordinary indeed.

"Itachi is part of a group called Akatsuki whose aims are hostile towards Konoha."

Sasuke interrupted. "You mean he is Konoha's spy. He joined that organization as a missing-nin did he not?"

"He did. He took your mother's eyes by the way. His eyes are now eternal."

Sasuke seemed to be deep in thought. He finally lifted up his head to stare at the assembled Shinobi in the room.

"I need to come to terms with this revelation and think on my future. Give me another three days. You have my word that Konoha is safe from me."

"Don't attack the council either, Sasuke. At least not yet. Danzo has sunk very low, and from what Naruto tells me, he has alarming beliefs. Homura and Koharu are controlled by him as well." Said Tsunade warningly.

"Fine. But they will pay for their crimes against my clan, make no mistake." He said with venom. Mito nodded approvingly. If anyone could understand devotion to a slaughtered clan, it was her.

"Sasuke, it might be possible for you to meet Itachi sometime in the next few years. What do you think, Mito?" asked Naruto. Mito looked considering, as did Tsunade and Kushina.

"Do you really want to take him…?" she asked, glancing at Sasuke. Naruto nodded. That way he could continue to help Sasuke and free him from his suffering.

"What are you talking about? How can I meet Itachi?" asked Sasuke with confusion. Naruto grimaced. "We will tell you after you have fully calmed down, Sasuke. If you agree, we might have to change many plans. Go rest, Sasuke. You have had too many revelations for one day."

Sasuke looked mutinous for a few moments, then sighed and nodded. "I need to think more upon this. See you later, everyone" said Sasuke absently as he disappeared with a shunshin. Naruto noted with pride that Sasuke had barely made a seal to use that technique.

The young Uchiha's power was increasing. Slowly by his own standards, but surely.

…..

**RAIKAGE'S OFFICE, KUMOGAKURE**

The Yondaime Raikage A lounged on his chair leisurely, listening absently to his brother's nonsensical conversation with Yugito. B as usual was 'rapping' causing Yugito to sweatdrop so much that A wondered if she had invented a new water jutsu.

These days, only issues of international power balances occupied his mind. Suna and Iwa were getting closer and closer, Akatsuki meshed with them dangerously. Konoha's God of Shinobi, Uzumaki Naruto had risen to become a very fearsome Shinobi. The tides of time were swirling in a very specific pattern and if he did not read that pattern, Kumo would perish.

He knew that there was wisdom in allying with Konoha, but international situations did not allow him to do so. Kumo could not afford to appear weak. So he had been speaking with the Mizukage on the matter. The two Kage were alarmed by Suna and Iwa's near military reorganization. They were trying to find out the identity of the new Kazekage, but Suna had not released that information till now. So he had sent a team to get intelligence on the general state of Suna.

Accessing Iwa was impossible, they were under martial law. No shinobi could penetrate Iwa with a high degree of risk, and Kumo could lose its neutrality if Iwa were to uncover one of its spies. So information from Iwa had to be gotten from Suna.

"Raikage-sama! Shee and Darui have successfully completed their missions and await your audience. Shall I send them in?" asked his sexy secretary, Mabui. A sat up with barely concealed eagerness and signalled Mabui to send them in.

"We got the Intel." said Darui in a bored voice. Shee nodded tiredly. It seemed they had an exhausting mission.

"Go on! Tell me what you learned. A brief report will do. I expect a detailed one tomorrow."

Darui nodded. He had spiky white hair, and carried a cleaver sword. He was a very strong ninja, having inherited the Black lightning from the third Raikage. Shee was a sensor ninja just below Yugito's calibre.

"Suna's new Kazekage is Yuura, a former councilman. Also he is a formidable Shinobi. Suna has authorized the recruitment and training of wartime Shinobi, and they have begun gathering Shinobi mercenaries in earnest. Their armies are slowly growing. Civilian law is erased, leaving Shinobi supreme in the village. The new Kazekage has authorized research into the highly destructive techniques of the Third Kazekage, and other Jutsu suited only for large scale destruction. They are beginning a long-period mobilization, strengthening their village from the inside."

The Raikage sat silent at this. Suddenly Bee burst into speech.

"We're gonna kick their asses! Just like Naruto kicked Iwa asses! I'm the Hachibi, and I'll let my power free! Wheee!" yelled B. Yugito face palmed and A ignored him completely.

"What about Iwa? What is going on with them?"

"Disturbing rumours, Raikage-sama…" said Darui shaking his head. Even Shee looked rather apprehensive. Yugito and B looked at them seriously.

"What?" asked Yugito curiously.

"They say Iwa is sealed off to all but Suna, and that Akatsuki is building their bases there legally. I guess Iwa has formally allied itself with Akatsuki. I think when the time comes; Iwa will merge with Suna to form a larger Village. Their alliance is becoming stronger by the day" mused Darui.

"Do not ignore the minor villages, Raikage-same. We have reports that Amegakure has allied with Iwa. There are indications of a major power bloc being born in the elemental countries. Iwa is gathering strength even faster than Suna. After their defeat at the hands of Uzumaki Naruto, they seem to have woken up to their weakness" said Mabui thoughtfully.

"Raikage-sama, I think we should treat this as a precursor to war. Iwa, Suna, and Ame are allying slowly. Takigakure and Kusagakure are also leaning towards that alliance. Orochimaru's Otogakure has definitely joined in that alliance. We have to somehow find a way to ally with Konoha and Kirigakure. Only then can we oppose the rising power of the Iwa bloc" Shee analysed coolly.

The Raikage stood up with resolve on his face. His shinobi straightened as they saw the powerful Kage's authority blaze.

"The Akatsuki is pulling strings from the shadows. They have aims and agendas of their own, and we must be prepared for any major invasion. Darui, begin the preparation of our war response units. Do it slowly and thoroughly. I assume it will take a few years for that alliance to consolidate its power. Then… I fear it will be war" said the Raikage.

Darui nodded and disappeared. A looked at the remaining with a thoughtful expression.

"Summon the full council and arrange a meeting with the Daimyo. I will not allow our village to fall, however high be the cost."

…..

**AKATSUKI BASE**

"Kakuzu, what is your mission status?" questioned Pain, his Rinnegan shining. Itachi stood beside him with his Sharingan activated permanently. The Akatsuki were present in their spectral forms, all save Orochimaru and the Doujutsu users.

"Takigakure is easy to persuade, as we thought. They know that Akatsuki has enough power to raze the village to the ground. They are stalling, though. Anyway, prey like them will have to submit sooner or later" said Kakuzu in his deep voice. Hidan, though, was uncharacteristically quiet as he saw Pain and Itachi stand side by side.

"Good. And you, Deidara and Tobi? What is your status?"

"The old man is getting more and more hospitable, yeah! He authorized Akatsuki to hire Iwa forces. The old geezer said he's taken the first step of the merger, hmm!" finished Deidara smugly.

"Senpai, you're too good! Leader-sama, you should have seen Senpai talk the old geezer into submission, it was-"

"Quiet, Tobi" cut in Pain. "So the merger has begun well. Soon we will have nearly half the Shinobi world's power under our control. Kisame and Orochimaru, how is the gathering at Otogakure going?"

"Many of my experiments will soon be ready, Leader-sama. Kisame is at Oto, organizing the mobilization of the nuke-nin. I estimate a few years before we reach the targeted strength" said Orochimaru silkily. Kisame just nodded.

"Good. Things are on track, then. In three years we will begin our move against the Jinchuuriki starting from the Ichibi. Let us disperse."

The spectral figures all disappeared, leaving Orochimaru, Pain and Itachi facing one another.

"You have your side of the bargain to fulfil, Pain. I gave you all the information you requested, and am actively rendering my aid to Akatsuki. Will you keep your promise?" questioned Orochimaru sardonically.

"Come closer, Orochimaru" said Pain. The snake Sannin appeared right in front of the Rinnegan wielder. Itachi observed the happenings quietly, his Sharingan shining red in the dim light of the cave. Pain held out both his hands, palms facing up.

Two crackling lights sprung up in his hands. One was shining red in his left palm, and the other was bright blue in his right palm.

_Yin and Yang chakras in their purest forms._

Itachi's eyes widened as he saw what Pain was doing. He had gained this much mastery over the Rinnegan? Hashirama-sama was wrong?

Pain merged both lights into one, his palms now encasing a bright white light. Orochimaru looked on greedily, his snake like eyes shining maliciously as Pain performed a technique thought lost to the world. It was the _creation of all things._

_"__**BANBUTSU SOZO!"**_


	13. Chapter 13

**Hello, dearest readers! I apologize for my late update, I truly do. My brother is really sick with the Dengue...and let me tell you: It is no walk in the park. Anyway, enjoy the chapter! And many thanks for all your reviews and encouragement. It means a lot, really.**

**Regards,**

**Karldin.**

CHAPTER 13

**KAZEKAGE'S OFFICE, SUNAGAKURE**

"Good. You are all here. Now, Baki: What is the status of our borders with Kumo? Last I heard, we were on rather tense terms with their outposts."

Baki turned to the Kazekage, but not before shooting a warning glance at the two remaining sand siblings. Temari and Kankurou were distraught, being separated from Gaara for months. It made Baki wonder how those two could still love a person who was so heartless. Their bond was truly strong.

"Yes, Kazekage-sama. Our relations with Kumo are terser than usual. Just yesterday, we had an altercation with their border patrol. The ninja Darui caught our infiltrators and wiped them all out with black lightning. I think we need to step up our skirmishes with the Kumo Jounin to keep them at bay."

The Kazekage, Yuura, steepled his fingers, thinking deeply. Temari and Kankurou were sitting pensively, not even looking at the other two occupants of the room. Ever since the invasion of Konoha, Suna had been declining. Who would have thought Uzumaki Naruto to possess such power? By all reports, he was someone who could potentially pose a threat to entire villages. His actions had thrown everyone off-balance.

"No. We need to stop assaulting any other nation. We react for now, but we do not act. The time is not right" said the Kazekage slowly. Baki stared at him, noting this inconsistency of behaviour. Yuura was always one for action, usually dishonourable action.

Kankurou slowly stood up, fixing the Kazekage with a stare. "Suna's Jinchuuriki, the Jinchuuriki of the Ichibi no Shukaku, is in foreign hands. My brother, the former Kazekage's son, is in foreign hands. How can you let this slide?"

Temari pulled him down, looking apologetically at her Kage. It was not a good idea to make demands or order the Kazekage around, not a good idea at all. They had to get Gaara on their own.

"You make a good point. A good point indeed, Kankurou. What are your thoughts on this, Temari?" asked the Kazekage solicitously. Temari was not fooled. Every Shinobi had in himself darkness, but not like this Kazekage. He exuded malice, and for no reason. Temari had a feeling that Yuura would cast Suna aside easily if it helped him achieve his goals.

"Gaara…is my brother, Kazekage-sama. Even when he was on his killing rampages, I never stopped seeing him as such. He might be a crazed killer, but he was made such a thing by this village. We owe him!" she said strongly. Baki stepped up to face the Kazekage who stared scrutinizingly at Temari.

"More than that, Kazekage-sama, we need our Jinchuuriki back. Suna is most familiar with the Ichibi, so it is best we have him back. For tactical reasons, it is necessary. Konoha has the Kyuubi, the strongest of them all. Kumo has Hachibi and Niibi. Iwa has Gobi and Yonbi, Kiri has Rokubi and Sanbi, and even Taki has Nanabi. We are at a disadvantage in this regard. The power of the Sand demon has always belonged to Suna!"

The Kazekage stared consideringly at the three he had summoned. Temari and Kankurou did not hope for much, as their leader had always put off missions concerning Gaara. They had no doubt that Yuura would leave their little brother to the tender care of Kumo Shinobi, leave him to be weaponized even more.

"I agree."

The three subordinates stared disbelievingly at Yuura, unable to understand this sudden acquiescence to their request.

"Oh, don't look like that, Temari and Kankurou. You too Baki. I am the Kazekage of this village, after all, and I am always on the lookout for our best interests! We need our Jinchuuriki back, and we need him back soon. Thus I will convene a full council to make plans for the retrieval of Sabaku No Gaara. We _cannot_ afford to have the power of our sand demon added to a nation with two Jinchuuriki of its own!"

Baki nodded solemnly. He was a loyal servant of Suna's Kage, whoever be that Kage. Suna should prosper, no matter what, no matter the deals they make or with whom.

…

**KONOHA**

"Damn it!" shouted Naruto, cursing at the devastation he had caused in training ground 7. He was trying to learn Jiraiya's improved version of the Rasengan, the Oodama Rasengan. He had got it too, but it was somewhat unstable. It exploded on him at unwanted intervals, and that was unwelcome.

The council had changed plans on him at the last minute. They had asked him to accompany Kushina to Kiri, and then to travel to Kumo together. When he thought about it, it made sense. Travelling alone in these times was dangerous no matter how powerful you were. Konoha was surrounded everywhere by hostile nations. It was a prelude to war.

"Would you teach my son _properly_, Jiraiya-sensei? Telling him to pump more chakra into his Rasengan, and staring discreetly at my body the remaining time does not qualify as teaching, now does it?" asked Kushina in a dangerous voice. She was here with Naruto to watch him train, and help him if he needed it.

"Hey, I taught him alright! Watch him go at it, will you? He learnt one of my more powerful techniques in about half a day. I _am _the greatest teacher, after all" finished Jiraiya smugly. Kushina shot him a disgusted look, and watched as Naruto gathered chakra in his palm. Her son had a really unhealthy determination, electing to learn techniques no matter day or night.

He said that the newer generation was always meant to surpass the older. Kushina could hardly believe him. How could anyone surpass the Shodai Hokage in strength? She could not conceive of anyone so powerful. The only one who came to mind was Uchiha Madara, and that Uchiha never surpassed the Shodai. Naruto had sensed her disbelief, and countered with an answer that had her thinking.

_"Brute strength is not the only power in this world, Kaa-san. It may seem that way, but it truly isn't. No one has even come close to matching the Rikodou Sennin, in all the generations after him. But there have been great men, great humans since him. Even when assaulted by darkness in every front, they chose not to lose their light. Uchiha Kagami, Itachi and many others come to mind"_

_Here he paused, shaking his head regretfully._

_"It is these people who embody the spirit of humanity who are the strongest, Kaa-san. The Six Path sage was such a man, and there have been many since. Some names are lost in the tides of history, but their effect will be felt for ever"_

_"You too are such a man, Naruto. You brought peace to the nations; you brought light to our village! Do not discount yourself from their ranks!" she had exclaimed, surprised at the self-reproach in his voice. It was as if he wanted to be like those men he had just spoken of. Did he not realize he already was?_

_"I am not like them, Kaa-san. People may think me great, but I consider myself short-sighted and selfish" Kushina just stared at her son. She never knew what he thought of himself._

_"No-"_

_"Yes. That is why this time I will not bind myself with my own preconceptions. I won't waste my second chance."_

That conversation had reminded her how much she did not know about her son. He had uncharted depths to him, hidden by the mists of history. The sadness in his face as he spoke of himself was heart-breaking to see, it was the look of a man who held himself in contempt.

She sighed as he saw Naruto implode another huge Rasengan in his palm. Naruto had stopped cursing, and was staring blankly at his palm. Jiraiya appeared next to him and put a hand on his shoulder.

"I expected that to happen, you know. Your chakra is a little too potent to compress so much. You will have to find a different way to stabilize the improved Rasengan, Naruto."

"I know" sighed Naruto. It was too much to hope for, really. His chakra was too strong. Way too strong for something like this. He turned to his mother as she put a hand upon his shoulder.

"Don't be sad, Naruto. The Kyuubi's chakra is not something that you can isolate from your body. It is a part of you, something that will strengthen you even more. You will find a different way to enhance your father's jutsu. I have faith in you!" she said firmly. Naruto smiled up at her.

"It _is _an advantage, Kaa-san. My body is the confluence of Senju and Uzumaki, after all." he said happily. Then he turned to Kushina with a serious look on his face.

"If I cannot learn the Oodama Rasengan the normal way, then so be it. I will improvise as it suits me. But Kaa-san, I have always wanted to learn father's _Hiraishin no Jutsu. _Do you by any chance have the seal blueprints? I really want to learn a space-time Ninjutsu…" he said eagerly. But Kushina shook her head.

"It is not at our home, I checked. I wonder where it has gone. There is no point in anyone stealing it, really. Why would they? It was made for your father and his descendants only. I presume someone has misplaced it during the renovation. Too bad…we'll ask the Hokage to look for it later, shall we?"

Naruto nodded glumly. He really was looking forward to learning the Hiraishin no Jutsu. He would have one up on Tobirama, at least. It could really occupy one's time, creating and learning new Jutsu. Tobirama was a prodigy in that regard, but he himself was no slouch either.

The trees suddenly rustled, conveying a crushing sense of urgency to him. Something was wrong, very wrong indeed. He stood up abruptly.

"Enormous amounts of foreign chakra!" exclaimed Jiraiya. Kushina snarled. He ignored them, however, and concentrated fully on Konoha.

_He could sense nothing! It was as if his senses were being blinded! _

He concentrated even more, silver chakra rising from his body. Kushina and Jiraiya looked alarmed as Naruto shut himself off from them, and seemed to be exclusively focusing upon his sensing.

_"Kurama, help me! Someone knows the weakness of my sensory techniques and they are actively shrouding the entirety of Konoha. It's Akatsuki!"_

Naruto's body began leaking red chakra, causing Jiraiya and Kushina to get even more alarmed. They had no news! Naruto was using Kyuubi's chakra, and that frightened them. They could hear faint noises of the Shinobi being roused and being whipped into a frantic state.

Something was going on. Something big.

Jiraiya closed his eyes, and an orange ring appeared around his eyes. The characteristic grey chakra of the Uzumaki rolled off Kushina, as she too prepared for imminent battle. Konoha was being attacked over and over again, despite proving its superiority. Akatsuki were persistent.

"Will you please stop drowning the entire area with Chakra?" asked Naruto in an annoyed voice, letting go of his chakra. Kushina and Jiraiya looked at him in surprise.

"What do you mean?" asked Kushina. Naruto sighed, trying to erase his trepidation. He felt someone familiar nearing him. A second later Kakashi stood in front of Naruto, for once not reading that damned book of his.

"Sasuke is gone! No trace of him at all. We need to find him. We need to find him now" said Kakashi grimly. Kushina's eyes widened, as did Jiraiya's. However Naruto scowled.

"There was no lie in Sasuke's mind as he promised us, I sensed it. He cannot deceive me. So we must assume that he has been taken by force."

"You are our strongest sensor, Hashirama. Find him! The Shinobi are running around like headless chicken, they won't help" said Mito, appearing beside Naruto with barely a whisper. Naruto looked at all of them. His family was being threatened again. Not losing his calm, he addressed them.

"Let us go somewhere we can discuss without interruption, shall we? This place _is _frequented by Genin, after all…" so saying, he disappeared with _shunshin_, followed closely by the others.

…...

They stood atop the hill that housed the Hokage carvings. Jiraiya, Kushina, Kakashi and Mito stood silent as Naruto tried his best to sense Sasuke's location. They could still feel the enormous power of the unknown chakra shrouding the village, it felt disgusting. The feel of it was malicious. The person who was exuding it was clearly dangerous.

Naruto opened his eyes, slashing his palm through the air in his frustration.

"Someone is actively overloading my sensory perception, that is what that huge chakra is doing everywhere! The foreign chakra is very heavy. I _can_ disperse it, but…"

"Do it, then!" exclaimed Kushina, frantic at losing Sasuke. If Naruto could sense his location, they could concentrate their forces to that location instead of spreading them thin everywhere. Kakashi was looking over Konoha with his _Mangekyo._ Jiraiya was busily using the extraordinary sensing of his Sage mode to pinpoint Sasuke.

"Let us reason this out, first" said Kakashi. Kushina looked at him angrily, but one look from Mito made her lose her anger. They turned to Kakashi as he began to speak.

"We need Sasuke's location. The enemy has created a chakra shroud, the only weakness of the sensory ninja. It is also a weakness of the Sharingan, as we can see only that thick chakra. It is like mist, except the mist here is chakra. They have enormous resources to do this, so we can assume it is one of the Akatsuki allied nations. This is not something a single ninja can do! Minato-sensei and I faced this in the third war!"

"What do you mean, Kakashi? What is this technique?" asked Jiraiya. He usually took a different sector from Minato during the war, good Shinobi were rare during those times.

Kakashi shook his head. "All I know is that they confused Minato-sensei. He could not feel them at all. He said they were inducing oscillations in the surrounding chakra, said he did not have the power to calm down the chakra miles in every direction."

Naruto walked to the end of the cliff, his long blonde hair flying as the wind buffeted them.

"Everyone get back. I will take care of the chakra shroud. Mito, place yourself and them in a barrier." he said with determination. Akatsuki was becoming a major player, and their audacity intrigued him. They dared to antagonize him after seeing his power?

He appeared upon the carving of Senju Hashirama's face, and he could see the entirety of Konoha laid out before him. The chakra shroud was as strong as ever, blotting out his perception.

_Sasuke…_

"I can just barely sense through the shroud, and I can give you the location of those creating it. Two miles, east of Konoha. A group of fifty Shinobi; can you take care of them Kaa-san?" asked Naruto. Kushina disappeared with an unhesitating nod.

He closed his eyes once more, immersing himself in the ocean of chakra that pervaded Konoha.

…...

Kushina's blood boiled as she raced towards the division that maintained the shroud. Sasuke was taken from them, and that made her almost insane with rage. She still remembered how sweet Sasuke was as a baby. Naruto was sweeter, of course.

But Sasuke was adorable, and he held a special place in her heart. The boys had suffered too much, and they were suffering still!

She could see the group of fifty ninja seated in a large circle, all of them holding up the half ram seal; just as her son had said. Her bloodlust heightened as she observed each and every one of them, they were well hidden. The forest of the God was very dense indeed, allowing for them to hide themselves in a raised clearing.

But not well enough to hide from her. She was sensor enough to peer through the _Meisagakure no Jutsu. _She could see them; no …feel their chakras pouring out uncontrollably.

She ghosted even closer, moving soundlessly through the treetops. The ninja were all sweating uncontrollably, moaning in pain. She could sense the overload of chakras in their bodies.

_They were forced to do this, no chakra is that malicious by nature. This chakra is filtered through seals to produce that darkness. These ninja were captured and their chakras are being used to just shroud Naruto's perception! Inhumane. Akatsuki are inhumane._

Seeing that the fifty ninja were in no position to defend themselves, Kushina appeared in the midst of their circle. The only way to stop their chakra emission was to kill them all.

_"Katon: Hono dai Kozui!"_

A torrent of white hot flames exploded from her mouth, igniting everything around her. The unaware ninja were reduced to ashes as the flames consumed them all. Kushina watched as her _Deluge of Flames_ technique incinerated the poor ninja who were being used as a power source for the Chakra Shroud.

She could feel the malice lifting from the air, and felt Naruto expelling the last of the Chakra shroud.

Sasuke was as good as located, now. She raced back towards Konoha, thinking exultantly.

_Let us see you run from Senju Hashirama, Akatsuki. Let us see you run from the full might of Konoha directed against you._

…...

The chakra shroud was completely destroyed. It seemed Kushina had found its source and dealt with it. Kakashi and Jiraiya watched with utter amazement as markings began to appear on Naruto's face. A thick ring of red covered each of his eyes, and two arcs of red adorned each cheek along with two concentric circles of red on the centre of his forehead.

"Is that…_Sage Mode?" _questioned Jiraiya in utter astonishment. The nature chakra pouring off Naruto was like…nothing he had ever felt. It was pure and strong beyond anything possible.

Mito turned to them. "You are seeing something lost to history, Jiraiya and Kakashi. That is the Sage Mode he used to defeat Uchiha Madara at the Valley of end. He must want to sense Sasuke as fast as possible. Hashirama's Sage Mode amplifies his strength many times. He only had to scratch the surface of its power to defeat Madara."

Jiraiya and Kakashi watched with their hair standing on end as the entire hill began to shine silver. They could barely see as Naruto's chakra saturated the entire village. Naruto himself was surrounded by a huge nimbus of pure white chakra as he stared at the horizon. He then slammed his palms together.

"_Senpou…"_

The nimbus surrounding Naruto blasted outward rapidly, causing the entire village to be drenched in white light. Mito watched her husband proudly, she knew he could sense about half of fire country with this technique down to the last sapling. Nothing could escape this technique.

_"MOKUTON…"_

The village was fully obscured by brightness by now; everyone in Konoha was guarding themselves from the massive white light. Naruto's golden hair was flying as he stood upon the carving of his former face, ecstatic at the rush of his full power as he felt _everything_ in Konoha. Jiraiya had sunk down to his knees as he felt drunk on the unbelievable chakra Naruto was throwing off.

This was the true power of Senjutsu. His Toad sage mode seemed puny compared to the power of Senju Hashirama. And to think it was still undeveloped.

Naruto opened his eyes, and Kakashi could see them _glowing _like green embers, giving them a glimpse of the utter strength of the man within. Konoha's canopy of white light was getting even brighter, causing its residents to cry out.

"_MORI NO KOKEI!" _roared Naruto. The canopy of white light covering Konoha now dispersed, gathering along its walls. Then…it blasted in all directions towards the end of the horizon from his location, a white sheet of light spreading like a blooming flower over the entire landscape. The beautiful light went on and on, washing over every forest in Fire country and giving its creator the power to become one with all forests it touched.

_There is no chance Sasuke has been taken outside of fire country this fast. I will find them all too easily….I will find you, Sasuke._

_The forests can see, after all. And I see what they see now._

…...

**SOMEWHERE IN KONOHA**

"You shithead, Jirobo! Can't you hold that fucking basket a little firmer, you fat fuck? If you fucking wake up that bastard son of a bitch Uchiha, things may go out of our fucking control…" cursed a rather pretty young woman.

"Such terrible words from a girl's mouth…don't worry Tayuya. I have the crazy monster contained well. My seal is pretty good, after all. He won't get any chance to use those eyes of his" said Jirobo confidently. Running besides him were his mates, Kidomaru and Sakon.

"If Orochimaru-sama did not need him, I would tear the little shit Sasuke to pieces!" growled Sakon. Their extraction had been dangerous, dangerous indeed. Kidomaru frowned as he considered their near death experience under the hands of a child like Sasuke.

_Orochimaru-sama never said he was that strong, it took all of us at cursed seal level 1 to overcome that little shit. Cursed Seal level 2 did not save Ukon from that black fire…Sakon is now alone, something he feared from the beginning._

_Uchiha Sasuke is too strong for his age. Nothing compared to the Mokuton user, but still noteworthy. Orochimaru-sama said the extraction point was somewhere around here._

They stopped at the ruins of a bounty office, its dilapidated structure slowly being reclaimed by the forest. The woods provided them with good cover, allowing them to conceal their scents from trackers and giving good spots for hiding and camping.

"There is the bounty office, Sakon. Orochimaru-sama said someone would come to take Sasuke from us around here, we should wait. The sooner we are rid of this little monster, the better. He should be Orochimaru-sama's problem!" said Jirobo.

They stood among the dense woods, making camp discreetly. It appeared as if the one who would relieve them of their burden would arrive late. Might as well recuperate by the time he arrived.

….

"I found him" said Naruto calmly. "How?" questioned Jiraiya, still unable to believe what he witnessed. Below them, Konoha was stirring frantically after Naruto's jutsu.

"I become one with the forests, Ero-sennin. Mito-chan, listen carefully. Meet Tsunade and explain to her my actions. Tell her to send a team about thirty miles southwest of Konoha, I sense Sasuke and…someone else…near a lake. There are a few enemies, ask them to be ready for it. I will assist where I can" said Naruto. Mito nodded and disappeared with a _shunshin_.

"What's going on?" came Kushina's voice from behind them. The beautiful Uzumaki woman looked around, looking unruffled by her recent skirmish.

"I found Sasuke, Kaa-san" said Naruto with resolve lacing his tone. Kushina smiled a bright smile at this. Her son would never fail, ever. It was in his blood to triumph. "And I will bring him back."

…...

It was well over three hours after they set up camp; Thank Kami, their barrier was holding up. Sasuke was still out cold, they had their luck to thank for that. Ukon had used a suicide technique as he was turned to ashes by Sasuke's black fire. The explosion had knocked out Sasuke; he was a little too close to it.

_Even in death, you helped me Ukon. I will NOT spare Sasuke, never! Someday I will have my vengeance upon him. I swear it on my soul!_, thought Sakon as he kept watch. It was nearing late noon, and still the contact had not arrived. If this went on for long, then he would have to call off the mission and just take Sasuke to the nearest hideout.

"Oi, fucker. Shouldn't that asshole be here by now? Orochimaru-sama did say we would have to just stay here for an hours. Its been more than three, you cocksucking dickhead! Let's just leave this bloody bastard here and go!"

"No. We _have _to complete this mission to Orochimaru-sama' satisfaction. Sasuke must reach the possession of his acquaintance! There is no other recourse, we must wait as long as we can" said Sakon. By now the others had assembled, keeping Sasuke in the middle.

"But we are well within Konoha territory! Why on earth did Orochimaru-sama insist not to cross Konoha with Sasuke? It would have made our jobs easier! Shit!" cursed Jirobo. Kidomaru suddenly went quiet, shushing them all.

"Someone is here…be careful. Activate level 1."

Markings of the cursed seal covered their bodies in a second, increasing their abilities many times over. Kidomaru listened closely for any more intervention. Before they could react, a ninja stood in their midst. He wore the black and red cloak of Akatsuki, same as Orochimaru-sama.

_I could not even hear him come in. This ninja is extremely skilled. As much as Orochimaru-sama. To beat the natural senses of a spider like me…no mean feat. We must avoid antagonizing him._

To the surprise of the other sound five, Kidomaru stepped forward with an inclined head.

"Are you the contact?"

"I am Kakuzu" said the masked ninja in a deep voice. His pupils were fully green, and it was intimidating. "I will take Uchiha Sasuke now. The five of you are to delay any pursuers till I am clear, is that understood? At any cost Sasuke must reach his destination. No matter who comes, you must stand your ground"

"No one in Konoha can defeat us! We are _Orochimaru-sama's _foremost subordinates! Sasuke was defeated all too easily, just like everyone else. We are the sound five!" yelled Jirobo. Kakuzu looked at him as if he were an insect to be squashed.

_"Why am I summoned?" questioned a deep voice. It was the ninja Kakuzu, without his partner Hidan. Kakuzu was quite the simple man. For him, it was all about profit. Something was profitable, or it was not._

_It was why he tolerated Akatsuki, and that idiot Hidan. That idiotic Jashin-worshipper often had him wanting to destroy something large, preferably a mile or two of forest. Akatsuki gave him access to some excellent bounties, and his assets had grown considerably. But money was only one part of it._

_There was in fact no way he could refuse Pain and live. Pain had the Rinnegan, and that was something to be feared and respected. He watched as Pain and Itachi walked towards him, observing him closely. They had refused to speak via astral projection, instead asking him to be present physically._

_"Kakuzu, I need you to do some damage control near the border of Kiri and Konoha. Orochimaru has acted, and has kidnapped Uchiha Sasuke. Uzumaki Naruto is going after him. If Orochimaru's subordinates skirt the Kiri border and enter into Iwa, I will have to get involved. Uzumaki Naruto cannot be allowed to enter our territories."_

_Kakuzu looked interested. "Isn't that the ninja that fights like Hashirama?"_

_"Yes, that is him. If he moves towards our territories, I will have to move to stop him. It is inevitable. But for now, you need to wrest Sasuke from the hands of Orochimaru's subordinates, and move to within Kiri. There you will engage Uzumaki Naruto for a time, and then flee. We are not ready for a war yet" said Pain strongly. Itachi watched him closely, his Sharingan slowly spinning._

_Kakuzu nodded. "It shall be as you say. Who is in possession of the young Uchiha? Is it anyone I should be careful with?"_

_Itachi stepped forward. "No, they are nothing. Some of Orochimaru's experiments are ferrying him, I believe. Dispose of them if they are too annoying, and execute the plan. We need to divert Naruto-kun from our lands."_

_"What plan?" asked Kakuzu. "We will tell you presently…"said Pain, motioning for Kakuzu to join them which he did._

"Pathetic. The sound five, huh? There are ninja in Konoha that can crush all of you effortlessly. I am tempted to do that myself, in fact. Did you know-"here Kakuzu stopped.

A very bright white light washed over everywhere they could see, and continued to sweep into the distance. The trees seemed to whisper to each other, and quiet fell over the entire woods. The sound five looked at Kakuzu and shrugged. Inexplicably, a thick tendril of Kakuzu's hair shot out, taking Sasuke's container firmly. He looked around at the Sound five, who were looking at him condescendingly.

"Is the great _Kakuzu_ afraid?" mocked Jirobo. Kakuzu stared at him, saying nothing. Then he turned to the forest, examining each tree closely. Then without a single word, he just disappeared with Sasuke held firm by his hair tendrils.

"What the fuck was that?" yelled Tayuya. "There must be enemies close by, ready yourselves! That must be why he left so abruptly. They must be formidable. Advance to level 2!" shouted Sakon. The sound five's bodies turned crimson red, taking on demonic attributes.

The malice of their chakras filled the air completely, but its effect was muted. They stared at the forest in surprise. Always when they used the curse seal 2, Nature seemed to abhor it. Forest animals always gave death wails, trees seemed to wither a little. Their chakra was impure; they knew that for a fact. It was that impurity that lent them their power.

But here, the forest was stronger than ever. Their chakra seemed without effect, leaving them with a feeling that their power was being muted. Suddenly, they felt a presence behind them. Together the five turned as one, and found themselves staring at something that should be impossible.

They found themselves staring at the Shodai Hokage, complete with katana, armor and the scroll of Seals. His black hair whipped around in the gathering wind, and his green eyes exuded a sense of power that made Orochimaru-sama look like a kid with a temper tantrum.

The sound five looked at each other. They would completer their mission, no matter the cost! Together, they charged but to no avail.

"_Mokuton Hiijutsu: Jukai Koutan!" _said the First in a calm voice. Hundreds of trees burst out of the ground, hurtling towards them at an unbelievable speed. Jirobo tried to slam it away with his super strength but another branch caught his wrists firmly. His legs were also bound tight. He was unable to make seals and got captured easily. Kidomaru was slammed down to the ground and trapped firmly by a huge root that sprouted out of the ground near him. Tayuya however tried to use a Genjutsu on the First, but to no avail.

The First clasped his palms together in the serpent seal causing large branches to blast out of the ground and bind Tayuya. Sakon was unconscious, having been captured by a tree and squeezed mercilessly.

Tayuya felt the branches bear down on her probably trying to incapacitate her. She dimly saw the same happen to the others. How futile…all this preparation for nothing. The last thing she saw was the Shodai Hokage smiling faintly as he shook his head and faded to become one with the tree behind him.

_Wood bunshin! Shit…_

_I don't know how this is possible, but we were forced to fight the Shodai Hokage. I am sorry, Orochimaru-sama…we are powerless before him. He defeated us all with a single technique…we are so sorry, Orochimaru-sama!_

Her world became black as she fell into unconsciousness, her chakra drained by the tree that imprisoned her.

…...

Naruto smiled as he captured Orochimaru's subordinates easily. They were too weak, despite having those cursed Seals Orochimaru seemed to be fond of. Even the diluted power of a wood clone from such a distance could capture those poor fools easily.

Orochimaru never understood the power a pure entity contained…it was all about enhancement and growth for him.

"What happened, Naruto?" asked Kushina, who had returned to the hill. Naruto looked at her, noting the lack of strain in her chakra. She had been in a rather easy fight, apparently. He also noted Jiraiya looking pensive.

"I just incapacitated a few of Orochimaru's people. Sasuke was not with them, however" Kushina began to look worried, but stopped when Naruto shot her a reassuring look.

"Don't worry, they will not escape Fire country. They were foolish enough to travel by forests, and forests are my domain. It seems we have the identity of another Akatsuki member…" he said.

"Who is it?" questioned Jiraiya. This was becoming too dangerous, he felt something off with this entire affair. Akatsuki seemed not to be trying hard enough…they did have an idea of Naruto's strength.

So where the hell was Pain and Itachi? Where the hell was the impostor?

"Kakuzu, An assassin of Taki I fought back in the old days…I had no idea he is still alive. I felt his chakra, he has become much stronger since our last fight. I can see him running towards the Kiri border with Sasuke unconscious. I will have to deal with him personally…." Said Naruto, letting his Sage Mode dissipate. Now that the shroud was off, he could trace Sasuke by the scent of his chakra.

_My ability to sense the Mangekyo is coming in useful at last…They cannot hide Sasuke from me now. Time to finish off that hairy Zombie Kakuzu._

"What? Where are you going?" said Kushina urgently as she saw Naruto walking away. Naruto turned, and considered the situation. They were to leave soon for a mission to Kiri anyways, there was no point in having to double back and collect his mother.

"Kaa-san, Sasuke is being taken towards Kiri. We have our mission there anyway, so do you want to come along? We'll take Sasuke back on the way" invited Naruto. Kushina nodded enthusiastically. This was just perfect.

"It seems you have the situation well in hand, Naruto. I should get back to my research, and keeping tabs on Akatsuki. I need to find out how they were able to slip past Konoha's barrier technique" said Jiraiya. These breaches in security were alarming.

Naruto nodded. "Get Mito to help you, she designed that barrier after all. Kakashi, follow my trail with an ANBU team as fast as possible, with Tsunade's authorization of course. I and Kaa-san are leaving right now!"

Kakashi and Jiraiya disappeared. Kushina looked at her son.

"Let's go, Naruto. Let's finish this fast."

Naruto nodded, and they both disappeared with their fastest _shunshin_, blurs covering a mile per jump. There was no way Akatsuki could hide from them now, not when he had felt their Chakra.

…...

_"Kakuzu, you are the only one who has fought Hashirama in Akatsuki. You are the one who remembers his power…" said Pain. _

_"I see. You want me to fight Uzumaki Naruto, I assume" said Kakuzu with certainty. Itachi nodded at this._

_"Naruto-kun is an unknown quantity still, we cannot make an informed guess about him till we have Intel about his true strength. You can gauge his strength for us, Kakuzu. He has the Kyuubi within him, after all, and he is pivotal to our plans when the time arrives. Pain needs to find out how strong Naruto is compared to Hashirama. Since you have fought Hashirama before, you can give us a fair assessment." said Itachi._

_Kakuzu snorted at this, "The only one who could make Hashirama bring out his full strength was Madara, no one really knew his full strength. No…hear me out. It is true I can compare this Naruto kid to Hashirama and can give you intel on his strength, but I barely escaped alive the one time I faced Hashirama. If this kid is even has a fraction of his strength…" _

_"Are you saying you will lose to some Kid?" questioned Itachi stoically. Kakuzu looked at him, and snorted once more. He had always held Itachi in respect, even more so these days. Something in the young Uchiha had changed…he had a feeling Itachi could even take on Pain if necessary._

_"Believe what you wish, Itachi. You do not know how strong the Senju are. Your clan was no match for them, after all. But I will fight him. As you say, only I can provide you with a good assessment of his strength. And I may land a bounty that may make me sinfully rich if I kill him…" said Kakuzu._

Kakuzu shook himself out of his memories as he deposited Sasuke on the ground. They were just within Kiri, having crossed the Konoha border minutes before. Kakuzu had taken out the paltry Shinobi guarding the border with ease, making sure that the upcoming fight would be uninterrupted.

Sasuke was bait, simple as that. If he had to fight a Mokuton user, it had to be on his own terms. Pain had created such a situation.

If the Akatsuki were to face a true Mokuton user in the future, it would be best to gather info on his strength. The smell of a large bounty was very attractive to Kakuzu.

He opened his Bingo book to check on the latest updates on Uzumaki Naruto. _Mei Terumi, Uchiha Itachi, Uzumaki Kushina, Senju Tsunade…._there_. _

_Name: Uzumaki Naruto_

_Age: 14_

_Height: 5'11_

_Class: Beyond S-class; true strength unknown, possibly still increasing. Konoha's God of Shinobi._

_Very powerful Suiton user. Very powerful Doton user. Annihilated an Iwa army with Mokuton, extremely skilled Shunshin user. Skilled Kenjutsu. Skilled Taijutsu._

_Bounties : Iwa (twice weight in gold), Suna (weight in gold)_

_FLEE ON SIGHT._

This alone was enough to erase Kakuzu's misgivings as he stood there, waiting for Uzumaki Naruto to appear. Sasuke was just a useless lump, lying in his container.

But then again, those 'sound five' had used a powerful barrier seal to confine him. Kakuzu waited impatiently, sure that Naruto would be here in a couple hours.

_Here…I will even help him find me._

Kakuzu unleashed his chakra, making sure it was felt for a large distance in every direction. If Uzumaki Naruto could not find him now, then he was not worth fighting.

…

Naruto and Kushina were rushing through the land, using all their considerable expertise at Body Flicker. It was two hours since they left Konoha, and they had covered quite a long distance.

Naruto's sensory field was at full awareness, he was able to pick up the smallest fluctuations in chakra in a four kilometre radius. He was following Sasuke's chakra trail rapidly.

"Naruto, stop" said Kushina, pausing to find four Orochimaru followers, unconscious and trapped in a Wood release technique. Naruto appeared in the midst of the unaware miscreants, and the trees binding them automatically receded into the ground. The four were arranged neatly on the ground, looking worse for wear.

"Naruto, this was the same chakra that was shrouding the village. Orochimaru used the cursed seal upon those fifty Shinobi, and forced them to emit chakra incessantly. That snake...if I find him…" snarled Kushina. Naruto watched as she drew her blade, and moved to kill the sound five.

He did not stop her. Within a second, their throats were slit. They had died a painless death. He smiled grimly, Orochimaru had lost some of his more important lieutenants. Before Naruto was done, he would lose a lot more.

His grin slipped as he felt Kakuzu emitting his chakra in pulses, as if to challenge him. He could feel his old enemy's eagerness and focus.

_The past always leaves its remnants, huh? Well, time to end Kakuzu. Annoying assassin…_

"Be careful, Kaa-san. I sense Kakuzu ahead, he obviously wants to fight. You take Sasuke, and I will take care of that Zombie." Kushina nodded, and they disappeared rapidly through the forest. Naruto concentrated, tracing Sasuke's and Kakuzu's chakra periodically, wanting to make sure that they were at the same place.

It was barely half an hour later that Naruto and his mother found themselves at a gorge, interestingly devoid of trees. Naruto spied Kakuzu on the water with a container that undoubtedly held Sasuke. He could feel the young Uchiha's dormant chakra.

He appeared in front of Kakuzu, Kushina behind him. Kakuzu turned around to face him. Naruto grinned, feeling a strange merging of consciousnesses in Kakuzu. It appeared as if he had gotten himself more hearts.

"You are here at last, Uzumaki Naruto. I was wondering if our plan would work. It did" said Kakuzu. Kushina disappeared, only to appear at the top of the gorge with Sasuke's container. Kakuzu made no move to stop her, he was staring at Naruto too intently.

"You can have Sasuke, if you want…he is of no concern to me. Perhaps if his bounty were higher…but I digress. _Your _bounty will make me rich for a long, long time. So…show me what you can do with the _Mokuton._ Show me if you really can match Hashirama…" said Kakuzu in a tone of bored challenge. Naruto frowned at him.

_I am Hashirama, you fool. It seems those hearts of yours have dulled your instinct. One for each nature, hmm? _

"You want to kill me? Is that why you kidnapped Sasuke…I thought the Akatsuki wanted my Bijuu?" asked Naruto curiously. Kakuzu shook his head as Kushina watched them converse.

"Kyuubi will reform later, if we kill you now. We can capture that mindless beast easily at our leisure. And your bounty will fund me for a long time...I have fought the Shodai Hokage, and have lived to tell the tale. Die, Uzumaki Naruto! You are but a pretender, an imitator!" at this Kakuzu's tentacles of hair drilled into the earth, shooting out to capture Naruto who watched on amusedly.

At the last second he dodged a hair tentacle that would have torn him apart, and caught two others with his bare hands. With a yell, he flung Kakuzu by his hair right into the wall of the Gorge…quite a distance away.

"I will end this now, you _heartless_ monster" said Naruto with a grin. "_Suiton: Mizu no Dangan"_

The waters of the gorge boiled, and multiple drills of water shot out of the gorge all converging towards Kakuzu's crater in a cone. Each of them as thick as the trunk of a full grown man.

Naruto winced slightly as he saw the water jets drill into Kakuzu's location. He saw the wall crumble slightly at the pressure of his technique. Abruptly, the wall of the Gorge exploded in a hail of fire and he saw Kakuzu's body being stitched back by that horrendous hair of his.

Beside him however were three monstrous masked beings of black…each with a nature very strong in them. _Raiton, Fuuton, and Katon. _

_This will be quite the fight,_ thought Naruto as he saw one monster open its mask to show a forming ball of fire. Another mask opened to reveal a gathering ball of wind.

Naruto readied his own technique as he watched Kakuzu, now fully stitched back, yell out his technique. "_Katon:Kajiarashi!" _

Naruto faced the incoming wall of fire, fed and sustained by the wind technique. It was so huge…huge enough to swallow up the entire gorge and hot enough to evaporate the water.

The waters rumbled once more as trees were born in its depths. Naruto slammed his pals together, yelling out his counter-technique.

"_Mokuton: Shinboku no Tobichi!"_

_Finish this fast, Naruto _thought Kushina as she watched a veritable forest blast through the gorge waters…seemingly born in its depths. How tall _were_ those trees? She watched as the multitudes of trees grew to monstrous proportions and rush forward to oppose the incoming storm of fire.

Fire met Forest in a huge explosion. Naruto watched gleefully as the force of his wood release carried the firestorm back to that old Assassin.

_When forest meets fire it results in a forest fire you idiot, and I control the forest. I will bury you today, Kakuzu. Dead or alive, I will bury you._


	14. Chapter 14

**I apologize for the lateness of this update. Do enjoy the chapter.**

**Regards,**

**Karldin.**

CHAPTER 14

The sun was setting, causing its light to wash balefully over the landscape, casting the two men standing on the top of the gorge into sharp relief. Pain stood with Itachi, the two of them taking in the devastation of the land. No part of the once beautiful gorge was left unscathed, not the land, not the rocks...not even the water. The water was also churning agitatedly, testifying to the ferocity of the battle that was fought there.

"It appears that Kakuzu fought with all the elements, but used _Katon_ and _Fuuton_ primarily. It appears Naruto-kun answered twice with _Mokuton_, but used mostly _Suiton_ later. I can see the remnants of the chakras used, they are still strong in the air. Ironic...Naruto-kun defeated Kakuzu using only the elements. Too bad Kakuzu is dead..." Itachi looked over the land with his Sharingan, trying to reconstruct the battle that was fought there. Uchiha Itachi was not called the prodigy of prodigies just for his supreme skill in battle. His mastery of the Sharingan was absolute, some said it even approached that of Madara.

Pain strode over to Kakuzu's corpse, and his Rinnegan started shining. He clasped his hands in the Ram Seal, and turned to Itachi.

"He is dead, but will not remain dead for long. I still have need of him." Itachi's eyes widened at this statement. Did Pain actually mean what he think he meant? He stared with rising fascination as the leader of Akatsuki intoned:

"_Gedo: Rinne Tensei no Jutsu!"_

A statue of the King of Hell rose out of the ground ominously, and swallowed up Kakuzu. Itachi was unable to believe his eyes...just how far did the power of the Rinnegan reach? To play so callously with Life and Death...he was forced to admit it. Pain was every bit as formidable as Hashirama believed him to be. He watched as Kakuzu stepped out of the statue, fully revived and staring incredulously and fearfully at Pain. Itachi found himself feeling much the same, only he did not show it. He had thought that he could beat Pain in a fight now that his Mangekyo was eternal. But now he wondered how strong the leader really was.

"I did not resurrect you for nothing, Kakuzu" said Pain impassively, paying no attention to the reactions of his companions. Or in Itachi's case, an absolute lack of reaction. "What did you learn in your battle with Uzumaki Naruto? I can see the chakras that were used in this place."

Kakuzu schooled his stunned expression back into one of indifference, but his awe did not escape Itachi's trained eyes. Itachi noted that Kakuzu did not have five hearts this time, but only his own.

"You pulled me from death...how is that even possible? And why don't I have all my hearts?" Kakuzu asked. Pain's eyes narrowed slightly, but he answered.

"That is not your concern, Kakuzu. Just know that I am outside life and death. Now answer me, unless you want me to send you back..." he said in a smoldering voice. Kakuzu looked extremely taken aback at this threat; he knew Pain could carry out that threat easily.

"Fine. You want to hear how a boy barely in his teens destroyed me, I who have fought against even the Shodai Hokage and lived? You had better be careful, Pain. I know nothing of how strong you truly are...but I can say the same about Uzumaki Naruto. I could not make him fight at full strength. All I know is this- Only you...and possibly Itachi can beat him. He can grind all the other Akatsuki to dust easily, we would have to be together to fight him and live. Let me tell you how the battle went..."

_Kakuzu stared with apprehension as he saw the multitude of trees descending upon him, burning ominously with the fire he himself had thrown. He observed that Naruto's skill with Mokuton was noteworthy…not quite at Hashirama's level but headed there rapidly._

_He noted that the trees that rushed towards him seemed somewhat…more potent than Hashirama's own trees. His Jiongu lashed out in all directions seeking to cut through the mass of burning trees descending on him, succeeding partially. Once again, it was his Jiongu against Mokuton…and once again he was being overwhelmed._

_Frustration took over Kakuzu as the hundreds of massive trees converged on him like vengeful serpents, burning gleefully. He evaded most of them, but one tree snaked behind him and branched out forcefully catching him off-guard. His arm was torn off, but he had ways to repair that. His arm was stitched back by his most powerful technique…with it he was practically unkillable._

_He saw Naruto smiling as the Wood Release raged about him unabated, seeking to destroy completely. But he could not keep this up for long…the trees were too large and he had to use powerful body flickers to evade them._

_One of his hearts gathered Wind Chakra on a massive scale and another heart ignited it with a powerful Fire technique. Fire blasted in all directions from Kakuzu's position, a deluge so hot that it actually melted most of the trees around him. He could see Naruto frowning, and letting the remaining trees merge back into the earth. He sighed in relief…Mokuton was too hard to counter effectively for someone who was not Uchiha Madara. It did not matter, though. He had a good idea of Naruto's skill with Mokuton with the use of that single technique._

_Now to escape alive from this battle._

_He snarled as he suddenly hit the earth face first, his jaw breaking from the impact. The boy was a little too skilled with the Shunshin. Stitching himself back to normalcy he furiously attacked the boy with Taijutsu, but it was in vain. He received his second surprise of the day…this was like fighting Hashirama and Madara at the same time._

_The boy obviously was a prodigious Sensor ninja, and had Hashirama's grace and strength. Kakuzu's every punch was effortlessly parried and his kicks were cleanly evaded…it was almost careless. His deadly hair tentacles dug into the earth, trying to pierce his opponent and augmenting his Taijutsu but it was of no use._

_Every attack was evaded, and returned to him with deadly force. He grunted as Naruto caught his punch in a deadly grip and broke his arm at the elbow joint…the boy's speed was very high. He could only watch as Naruto without pause caught his other wrist and slammed an elbow into his chest, then crashed a knee into his abdomen and fluidly delivered a kick that sent him flying several hundred yards away._

_He took back his Raiton heart, pouring his complete chakra into the Katon and Fuuton hearts. Time to overwhelm his opponent with his strongest fire technique._

_"HOWAITTO HOTTO ARASHI!" he yelled and the air heated up completely for half a mile in all directions, a prelude to an unbelievable fire technique. He saw the ground shaking…and cracks appeared everywhere around Naruto. For a large distance around them, the air itself began catching fire...the heat was so intense that the ground itself started melting._

_Kakuzu smirked nastily, and formed the Ox seal to release the full power of the technique. The air turned white hot and combusted spontaneously, deadly white fire blasting the entire gorge all at once. There was no way the boy would have escaped from this technique...no way at technique was a manifestation of supremely hot fire for a few moments, but devastating in its effect. _

_He let his massive firestorm die down, observing the damage done to the area... all the water in the gorge was gone! The ground was glass for half a mile in all directions, testifying to the power of the technique. Kakuzu slowly walked towards the huge cloud of smoke drifting from Naruto's direction, sure that his opponent was probably a smudge of ash by now._

_He couldn't be more mistaken, for as the smoke cleared he saw something impossible. Absolutely impossible._

_It was a wall of water...ten metres thick, sixty metres high, and one mile long. Kakuzu stared at the miraculous technique unable to believe his eyes. He saw Naruto standing behind his water wall, holding his palms out. Kakuzu cursed fervently...there was no way his fire technique could have gotten through a water wall this thick._

_ He began to run away hurriedly, flashing through the land away from his enemy. This was getting too dangerous, there was no telling what could be done with that monstrous wall of water._

_"MOKUTON: MOKUZAI NO KEIMUSHO!"_

_The ground started to rumble everywhere, and huge pillars of wood arced up to form a massive dome so huge that it confined him, Naruto...along with the humongous wall of water. Kakuzu knew he was done for...he had to fight for his life now. A single shaft of sunlight illuminated the otherwise dark prison of wood, throwing Naruto's water wall into sharp relief. The silence was deafening._

_"Got me, huh?" called Kakuzu, hearing his voice echo around the huge dome in which they were imprisoned. The creation of this...this dome of more than a mile in diameter confirmed his suspicions more than anything...this boy would be as strong as Hashirama, possibly even more. He could make out Naruto slam his palms together and yell out his technique._

_"_Suiton: Mandara no Jin!"

_He could only stare openmouthed;There was no doubt that all the water in the gorge was in that water wall...Naruto's technique caused it to rush towards Kakuzu at a dangerous velocity, forming into tens of thousands of water snakes. Those fangs looked very sharp...Kakuzu knew he could not overwhelm water manipulation at this level. No fire could burn an entire lake._

_The snakes of water began piling up upon one another, all the water turning transforming into the deadly creatures. As far as he could tell there were about a million of those snakes of water rushing at him in a wall spanning the diameter of the dome. He narrowed his eyes as he charged towards his doom with his Jionghu lashing out, if he was going to be taken down...he would die fighting._

_The last thing he felt as he was torn down to his last shreds was ...nothing. But the last thing he saw was the wood dome dissipating and all the water flowing into the empty gorge dutifully._

_He closed his eyes and let go as the earth claimed him in his burial._

Itachi listened closely as Kakuzu described the prowess of his old nemesis, though he knew it not. He had expected Kakuzu to die, but not expected Pain to resurrect him. In his mind, it had been the perfect solution. Cause the death of an Akatsuki, give Naruto more information on Akatsuki and at the same time give him more experience.

But things were spiralling out of control. Pain would now have an accurate idea of Naruto's strength, and he would desist from sending anymore Akatsuki against the reborn Shodai. Itachi could imagine the scale of the battles Naruto and Pain would fight, they would be a natural disaster. Or if he and Pain fought. The two of them and himself were in a different league as Shinobi.

_Eternal Mangekyo, Mokuton and the Rinnegan. All existing at the same time and pit against one another. All I can hope is the scales are in Konoha's favour...what else can you do, Pain? What other powers are you hiding?_

...

Naruto stared as he came face to face with what was Kirigakure in this age. The last he saw the place, it was a backwater village with a few ramshackle _Doton _grown houses. The first war had been generous to Kirigakure, as many strong Shinobi settled in its marshlands, not wanting the strife of the war. In the end, Kiri's special attribute as a haven from war turned it into a war torn mess. Ironic, thought Naruto. Shinobi who wished not to fight, that was ridiculous.

Truly, strife would always persist in the world. What he really wanted as Hashirama, and now as Naruto was that that strife existed for the right reasons. And the only reason that seemed right to him was to protect those close to you. Protect those you held precious.

Strife born of malice was cancerous, and dangerous. He and Madara had debated the selfsame point for many years: Can two people eliminate the malice in their hearts and converse as enlightened individuals?

Philosophy aside, he watched as his mother withdrew a note and passed it to a guard standing in front of the massive gate. He closed his eyes and extended his senses in all directions, seeking to feel the strength of the Shinobi of Kirigakure.

_Three Shinobi, strong above all else. I can sense two fire based bloodlines in a single person: the Godaime Mizukage, Mei Terumi. A dense chakra, the bearer has a very high capacity. I can tell he is young from his uncultured emotions. And what is this...Byakugan? How did the Byakugan come to be here? I must find out more._

"Welcome back to Kirigakure, Kushina-sama. Mei-sama awaits you in the Mizukage office along with Ao-sama. Follow me" said the guard, beckoning Kushina along as he disappeared into Kirigakure.

Naruto kept his senses at full alert as he followed his mother through the village, they had been attacked one too many times during this journey. Most of the chakras in the village were nothing feeling alarmed about, they were very average. But now and then he felt a chakra too strong, or one that was being actively suppressed. Kiri obviously had its share of powerful Shinobi.

He sedately followed his mother and the Kiri Shinobi as they made their way towards the imposing office of the Mizukage, keeping his senses at full alert. "Kaa-san, who in the Mizukage's employ has the Byakugan? I could sense that Doujutsu very clearly indeed. It is a single eye, I presume?" he asked Kushina, who was looking around with an air of preoccupation. Kushina opened her mouth to answer, but was beaten to it by one of their Kiri escorts.

"You sense the Byakugan of Ao-sama, Naruto-san. I know he got it as a conquest of war, but do not know much else about it." Naruto nodded at this; there was not much he could do about it if it were a conquest at war, at least not openly. The Byakugan was an extremely coveted Dojutsu of Konoha, and this was the only time someone had actually succeeded in taking those eyes from their true owners.

They paused as they reached a beautifully carved wooden door in the corridor. The sheer amount of chakra that filled the room that lay beyond convinced him beyond doubt that it was the Mizukage beyond the room. He watched along with his mother as their guard tapped the door twice and announced them. The door opened slowly and the guard beckoned them inside.

Kushina eagerly ran inside, throwing decorum to the dogs as she flew into the arms of somebody Naruto could not see. To the left of the hugging duo stood a man with spiked hair and obscured eye...this must be the Ao that everyone talked about. Kushina slowly disengaged herself from her hug to reveal a vision of beauty. Naruto had to admit he had not seen a woman more beautiful in both of his lives, so stunning was her form. She wore resplendent robes of blue, and the hat of the Mizukage sat on her head to mark her for the Kage she was.

"Welcome, Uzumaki Naruto. Welcome to Kirigakure" greeted the Mizukage in a melodious voice and meeting his gaze with authority. Naruto answered with a calm stare, mastering his emotions frantically. It would not do for him to gawk at the woman like some common teenager, which would be an embarrassment.

"**You ****_are_**** a teenager, you idiot. You might be older in mind than everyone in this room put together, but you still have to answer to the urges of your undeveloped body. I can't ****_believe_**** you are lusting after someone other than your beloved Mito..." **insinuated Kurama. Naruto hissed at the perverted Bijuu mentally, it had the knack of dragging out discussions he was most uncomfortable with.

_"Would you stop that? This is the teenage Naruto lusting after the Mizukage, as you very well know! I am no longer an old man, you annoying fox! I have all the urges of a teenager...damn my Senju vitality. It is really not helping matters here",_ Naruto could hear the fox chuckling in response as the Mizukage strode towards him sensually. He tried to keep himself from blushing as the beautiful woman bent down and kissed his cheek softly, saying: "I have always wanted to meet Kushina's son, she told me so much about when you were a little child during our rebellion. She is like my sister, you know...your mother. Those years during the war made us closer than even family."

He inclined his head slightly, showing respect in the gesture as he noted the resemblance between his mother and Mei Terumi as they stood together. It was not their faces that held the greatest resemblance, nor the features of their bodies. No...it was their chakras that burned almost identical to each other, bearing the Uzumaki potential for longevity in it.

"Thank you, Mizukage-sama...I had not known you were this close with the ruler of Kiri, Kaa-san" said Naruto with some amazement. Kushina smiled but suddenly lost her smile as she turned to Mei.

"Did you get Sasuke-kun? We sent him ahead with a clone...Is he alright?" asked Kushina frantically. Ao stepped forward and reassured Kushina soothingly: "We received your Uchiha, Kushina-sama, and he is under care from some of our foremost medical experts. His confinement and triggering of the cursed seal has had some unknown effects on him...he will have little to no control over his emotions. Our mind readers will penetrate his psyche for any-"

"No" said Naruto firmly. Ao, Mei and even Kushina looked at him with surprise on their faces. "No. I appreciate the friendships between the three of you...but I will not allow someone of other nationality to look at the mind of Konoha Shinobi"

Kushina shook her head desperately, "Naruto, you do not know what damage Sasuke may have sustained. Please...lay aside your loyalty to Konoha and let us go to the aid of Sasuke-kun!" Ao snorted as he looked at Naruto and sized him up.

"He is only a rookie Jounin, Kushina-sama, and must be under your command. You can overrule him if you so wish! Not to mention, he is your son" he said forcefully. Naruto slowly got up and walked to Ao, his anger rising by the second. The Mizukage watched him carefully as he stalked towards her right hand man like a predator.

"Quiet, thief. You know nothing about me. Kaa-san, please request the Mizukage to yield Sasuke to me now; I can heal him just fine" said Naruto as he stared balefully at the occupants of the room. Something did not smell right to him here...Mei and Ao were exuding emotions of anxiety and trepidation. But what amazed him was his mother. She too felt anxious and on edge...what was going on here?

Naruto rounded on Kushina when he was faced with these emotions and stony silence. "I should have sent Sasuke back to Konoha after I defeated Kakuzu. I sent him here on _your_ insistence! Why do you hesitate to ask for Sasuke to be returned, Kaa-san?"

"Boy, you understand nothing of these matters...they are far above you! Leave it to the us, young boys have no place in matters that decide the fate of nations. Leave now, or else..." snarled Ao, and Naruto felt the anger in the man. His eyes narrowed as he considered his situation...the Kiri Shinobi were acting oddly, and that meant that their mission was being compromised. Kushina had closed her eyes after she heard what Ao had said to her son, knowing it would not end well.

Naruto held out both palms, and a blazing blue ball of chakra shimmered into existence in them. He looked at the Mizukage with hard eyes. "Take me to Sasuke now...or else"

Blue light cast everything into sharp relief as Naruto held the Rasengan in each hand, looking impassively at the leader of the mist. Naruto could not believe what was happening...these were the people his mother trusted? Was her judgement truly so weak?

"Any act of aggression upon our Mizukage will be considered an act of war, brat. Do you really want to bring war down upon Konoha so early after it coasted over the last one? So selfish..." he shook his head. Naruto stared at the man with disbelief.

"You refuse to return Sasuke to us, and you accuse me of not sitting back? Why do you wish to poison our relationship so fast? I trust you, Mizukage-sama, to an extent. And that too only because of Kaa-san...I will not extend that courtesy to you anymore if you insist upon this foolishness. I will not hesitate to attack you if you do not comply with my demands...Bring-me-Sasuke-NOW!" said Naruto loudly.

The Mizukage gave him a long stare, and nodded to Ao. The one-eyed nin grunted and motioned for Naruto to join him, Naruto allowing the Rasengan to fade out of existence with a flick of his wrists. He followed Ao, his chakra rearing in readiness for battle. One wrong move, and he would make them pay...no one would take his family from him and escape.

No one.

...

Kushina sat back heavily upon a seat opposite Mei, a few tears leaking out of her eyes. Mei sighed as she saw Naruto being lead out by Ao to Sasuke...the process should be over by now, and the plan would go one step further.

"I _hate_ lying to him, Mei. I hate that I am betraying him every single day...that I am made to betray him every single day. You should never have made the deal with him, I would be better off-"

"Do not say it, Kushina!" said Mei quickly. "Please do not say it. There was no way I would let you be taken away from us, not after what you had done for Kiri. I would have made a deal with anybody to bring you back. But him...he is different. It would be folly to oppose him, Kushina. Perhaps you can find a way to work around his instructions?"

Kushina lowered her eyes and replied softly. "I have managed to work around a few things, you know. His instructions to me were very specific and they did induce many loopholes. I am using them to keep much from him...I am trying hard, Mei. But its really hard to imagine what will happen when Naruto learns what I am doing to him and Konoha!"

The Mizukage remained silent, knowing her platitudes would never really succeed in cheering Kushina up. Indeed, she felt enormous guilt for putting her in this position. If only she had not agreed out of pure desperation to that man's offer all those years ago. She remembered the day this fiasco had begun, the day they were hardest pressed by the forces of the Yondaime Mizukage, Yagura. The bloodline wars had heated up to unbearable levels and only the strength she and Kushina wielded held the rebels together. There was no doubt that even if one of them were killed, the rebels would disintegrate. Yagura had deduced the selfsame thing, and had attacked them with overwhelming force during the night, when they were resting.

_It was fire and death everywhere, the loyalists had taken the rebels unawares and were decimating them ruthlessly. The location of the camps were meant to be secret, and guarded...for the life of her she could not see just how they were given away. There was no chance of betrayal, she trusted every last man in her force._

_"Kushina, they are attacking us from all directions. Let's take different halves of the opposition, we could still drive them away!" Mei yelled. Kushina unsheathed her sword and disappeared without answering, and Mei knew she had gone to take care of the army attacking from the western side. Without hesitation she rushed to the eastern side, intent on annihilating the fools Yagura sent to oppose her. This was the problem with Ninja who were Kage level and beyond...Unless opposed by ninja of the same caliber, they could not be stopped. She knew that her strength was more than enough to deal defeat to those who opposed them today...the sight of the misfits who attacked them confirmed this more than anything else._

_They were just missing-nin._

_With no warning or prelude she unleashed enormous water dragons and fire dragons to meet the opposition, causing elements that were opposed to each other to work together in a rare harmony. Fire dragons burnt the Ninja where they stood, and water dragons crushed them mercilessly and still she did not relent. Waves upon waves of lava erupted from where she stood, simply swallowing up the poor fools who were no doubt served up as fodder...Mei started as she saw her lava release drive back the rogue missing-nin; An enormous explosion tore through their camp, destroying everything in its path and creating a large mushroom like cloud of dust...she too was thrown forcefully into the ground protected only by the vitality of her Uzumaki body._

_As the dust cleared she saw the broken bodies of Shinobi everywhere, both rebel and loyalist. She shelved the sorrow that threatened to overwhelm her completely...this part of her army was completely annihilated! The Shinobi under her were loyal beyond belief, and she felt as if a part of her was dead. She got up and ran forwards hurriedly, intending to see how Kushina was faring. _

_After a few body flickers she stood near the epicentre of the explosion and saw two people fighting furiously. She saw Kushina attack her opponent with her trademark Kenjutsu, but Mei saw that her strength was flagging. Kushina's opponent wore a black cloak with red cloud designs, and his face was obscured by a hood. That was all could be seen of his features...but Mei could see how effortlessly he blocked Kushina's strikes with his own Katana. It was as if he could anticipate any strike from any direction and his strength exceeded Kushina's. Kushina would not win this battle._

_Before she could make a move, she felt herself being pulled forward by some unknown force; The stranger caught her by her collar...and the next thing she knew, she was hurled into the ground with terrific force. She groaned with pain, knowing that multiple bones were broken and there was no way she could join in now. She watched as the stranger drew back his sword and slashed at Kushina. The might of the blow was unnatural...Kushina was hurled several yards away and her sword was shattered. Mei could not believe it._

_Kushina was superior in technique, but the man was superior in some other unknown way. He moved like he could not be defeated. Mei watched as the man appeared in the air above Kushina and thrust his sword through her stomach. Tears ran down her eyes as she saw her best friend impaled by some unknown sword, wielded by an unknown fighter. Kushina was undoubtedly dead, her chakra could not be felt anymore._

_Kushina would never see her little son again. Mei felt agony at this. Her closest friend's family was now torn apart in every way possible…Kushina was killed in a land that had little to do with her, and she would never see that son she loved so much ever again._

_Slowly she staggered up and assumed a battle stance. She would either kill this stranger, or be killed._

_"Amazing. You can still fight after being hit by that…Mei Terumi, I wish to join your forces", said the stranger in a deep voice. Mei stared at him, unable to believe the stranger's words. He had killed much of her forces, and he said he wanted to join in? _

_"You killed them all. You killed Kushina! I will kill you" she said in a cold voice, gathering every last drop of chakra in her body. The stranger waved his hand in a dismissive gesture, and she could actually feel the disdain he emanated._

_"No one can kill me. No one is strong enough to kill me, not since…" here his voice faded, but picked up soon enough. "I will make a deal with you, Mei Terumi. Listen carefully."_

_"No deals" snarled Mei, and moved to attack him but was thrown back forcefully into the ground again. The stranger appeared next to her, looking down impassively. _

_"Keep quiet and listen. You must agree I am worthy enough to join your cause, yes? At least by measure of strength?" he asked. Mei was beside herself by now._

_"What cause?" she snarled. "You have put back the bloodline supporters by several years. These were our most loyal people! How dare you mock me after killing everyone that matters to me, you-"_

_"I can bring them back" he said, causing Mei to shut up. "I can bring them all back. I will do so if you let me join your army" he said to Mei, who stared with her jaw hanging open. But she believed him…for some reason she believed him._

_"Decide quickly" he said, walking to the side. To her, there was no choice. She would do anything to get her teammates and army back, for she would do anything to have people like them beside her._

Mei sighed, looking at Kushina and coming out of her reminiscences. The stranger had kept his word, alright. But he had done more than just that. Much more.

She remembered the day she had given assent to the stranger's plan, it was since then that things had begun to go out of her control. They won the war, the rebels of Kiri. They had won the war with the assistance of that strange fighter. She herself would never have been able to defeat Yagura in single combat if not for that Stranger's help.

"Why do you think he needs Uchiha blood, anyway? We know he is of the Akatsuki, but we know nothing about his abilities. I should never have gotten embroiled with him…I think Akatsuki are playing both sides of the board. They are trying to control everything" said Kushina, running a hand over her sheathed Katana.

Mei said nothing, choosing silence. She knew the situation was wearing Kushina down. Being made to betray her village and family was eating her will…she feared Kushina would take the extreme step. She would not allow that to happen.

"But whoever he is…he is connected to Pain." Said Kushina, continuing listlessly. To Mei, it seemed as if she had thought about this any number of times. But this time, her curiosity won out.

"Pain?" asked Mei. "Who is he?"

"Leader of the Akatsuki. He is powerful beyond belief…Tsunade-sama told me to share this piece of intel with you. Pain possesses the _Rinnegan_." Mei's eyes widened at this, and happenings of the past years began falling into place. This explained much.

"If anything can bring people back from the dead, it is _Rinnegan_. That is why I think he has something to do with Pain. But I cannot do anything to reveal his existence, and I have tried" said Kushina sadly. She was already being forced to share crucial intel by that man, she had given up much of Konoha's secrets, including the truth about Itachi. The only thing she had kept secret _somehow_, was the fact that Senju Hashirama walked the earth again as her son.

"The _Rinnegan_?" Mei whispered, unable to believe it. Powers were awakening in the Shinobi world that were best left buried in the mists of legend. If a bearer of the Rinnegan existed…she feared for the elemental nations' future. A Rinnegan user could bring every nation to its knees singlehandedly.

Only one question gnawed at her.

"Why has he not acted?"

"Pain fears my son. At least, he is wary of my son. Naruto fought him to a stalemate near Tanzaku Gai…I think no one has ever done that before. So he fights from within politics and shadows, and gathers strength at the same time" here Kushina's face firmed, and she presented a missive to the Mizukage.

"The Hokage has sent you this missive, requesting your co-operation in forming a response team to Akatsuki. Will you help us?"

Mei stood up, and took the scroll.

"I will. For now, you are tied to him…but I can at least help this way to break your enslavement. I can make amends for my foolish decision on that day."

….

Naruto watched Sasuke as the young Uchiha lay sedated and unconscious. He had not allowed the mind healers of Kiri to mess around with Sasuke's mind, as the damage done to it was beyond horrible. In fact, what fascinated Naruto was that Sasuke had not snapped already…In his place, anyone would have just let go, given in to their instincts.

_He is not just anyone, after all._

Ao had left him alone with the Uchiha after another round of intimidation. This time he had flared his chakra enough to bring everyone in the hospital down to their knees, and Ao had covered his Byakugan with both hands. But Naruto had sensed in the man no real malice, only a need to protect. He could relate to that…but not at the cost of his own.

Two medics remained to 'observe' him. He had let them, of course.

Two evil influences fought for Sasuke's insanity: His Mangekyo Sharingan, and his Cursed Seal. Not to mention the trauma Itachi had put him through. Naruto formed a complex series of hand seals as he molded chakra into its healing form.

_Yin chakra to contain the Mangekyo's darkness till Sasuke is strong enough, only my Yin chakra can overcome the Mangekyo's power. Yang Chakra to wipe out the remnants of that disgusting cursed seal. Mokuton chakra to strengthen his eyes, and to stave off blindness for a much longer time._

_I will heal you, Sasuke._

His palms shone green, and his already green eyes seemed bright like living embers as he laid his hands upon the prone Uchiha. The medics watched with round eyes as Naruto used all the talent of his previous life to split the flow of his chakra into three streams.

He wove _Yin_ to overwhelm the malice of the Mangekyo Sharingan, and simultaneously he routed _Yang_ chakra to ruthlessly crush Orochimaru's trickery. Then, exactly as he did for Mokuton…he fused Yin and Yang to create life. Life he granted to the deteriorating eyes of Sasuke. He could feel Sasuke healing in multiple ways as he continued.

Slowly, he let the healing recede as his job was completed. Sasuke would be near normal the next time he woke, and they would leave for home soon enough. He had no doubt the missive would have reached the Mizukage. His Mother would have seen to that.

He could sense Sasuke's vitals stabilizing, and his chakra was healthier than ever. Now it was up to Sasuke to control his emotions and his eyes. Things in the Shinobi world were boiling, and the nations were stirring. His sense of urgency to complete this mission was increasing.

Even at the cost of modesty, he had to admit one thing: Only few people could truly oppose him…and Akatsuki numbered high among those few. Pain was a real threat…a very real threat. He had to grow as strong as he was as Hashirama to safely oppose someone like the leader of Akatsuki.

_This war with the Akatsuki won't be like the war between the Senju and Uchiha. That war basically boiled down to me and Madara. This time…the entire Shinobi world will be involved. I feel it. I must prepare in earnest for what Akatsuki will bring down upon us._

…..

"The flaw was made from within; there is no doubt about it. Someone in Konoha's barrier corps created that hole so they could smuggle Sasuke-kun out. It appears we either have an infiltrator or a traitor within our midst. He must be found and destroyed as fast as possible" said Mito, looking critically at the people in front of her.

In front of her were the council of three, Tsunade, Jiraiya and Kakashi. And Danzo, the old war hawk. Word was received that Naruto had destroyed an Akatsuki and retrieved Sasuke. The trio had supposedly continued onto Kirigakure in furtherance of their mission. She had finished her diagnosis of the barrier with Jiraiya, and they had presented their findings to the ruling council.

"Who could have done such a thing?" grunted Danzo. Mito whipped her head around to face him. People forgot that even though Tobirama was the master of sensing chakra, Mito was the mistress of sensing emotions. And she sensed from Danzo frustration at failure and tightly leashed anger. Not to mention a smug self-righteousness.

He had something to do with this. And if that was ever proved…

"We need to move on to more important matters. The message said Uchiha Sasuke was retrieved and contact was made with Kiri. Were there any details about who was defeated by Naruto? Who was this Akatsuki?" questioned Danzo, smoothly diverting the attention of the assembled Shinobi. Homura straightened himself, and answered:

"It was Kakuzu, an old assassin of Takigakure. You remember what Sensei told us, don't you Danzo?" he asked. Danzo nodded, as did Koharu. They were all knew of Kakuzu.

"What is it you were told?" asked Tsunade calmly. Koharu turned to answer, and all those assembled looked attentive. The old Kunoichi started speaking:

"Back when me, Hiruzen, Danzo and Homura learned at the feet of the Niidaime Hokage we were taught the arts of high level assassination. Hiruzen was the kind of fighter who turned the tide of an entire battle, and was a competent assassin. But even Hiruzen was nothing compared to Danzo in assassination; Tobirama-Sensei always said Danzo was the best Assassin he had ever seen…well, the second best."

Danzo continued from here. No one noticed Mito's eyes narrowing.

"Sensei always told me to be use the Shadows. To be like Kakuzu. Kakuzu was the one who sparked the First war. Back then Taki was a very prosperous nation…and they were very influential. But our Shodai gave us the edge in every battle…no one even dared to attack Konoha when he reigned. Konoha stood supreme with Hashirama-sama as our Hokage, and with all the Senju behind him. We were unstoppable. Taki saw us as a threat, and they wanted to stop our meteoric rise."

Danzo sipped his glass of water, noticing the pain and sorrow Mito was beginning to show.

"Not even they were foolish enough to attack Senju Hashirama of the Wood release. Not head on. They thought they could break him another way…the fools. They trained a young Shinobi named Kakuzu for that very purpose. One day, Kakuzu penetrated our barrier with ease. To this day we do not know how. He penetrated the barrier and-" here Danzo paused and looked at Mito with alarm.

Rage twisted Mito's face and her chakra poured out in waves. Their teacups shattered, but suddenly Mito seemed to master herself. She looked around at those assembled emotionlessly, and spoke.

"He killed our daughter. Taki had sent a large force with their Kage to distract Hashirama, and once he was at the border that scum Kakuzu snuck in and killed my daughter. She was only three, you know. So beautiful. He killed her and left" said Mito, tears slowly making their way down her beautiful face.

Every Shinobi filled the room with their chakra and rage, remembering this injustice to their First. Kakashi's eye had involuntarily morphed to Mangekyo Sharingan and the two remaining Sannin were livid. Homura and Koharu were downcast. Danzo continued the tale, seeing that Mito was too lost in her grief so long buried.

"Sensei said it drove Hashirama-sama mad for some time. The Shodai always loved with his entire heart, not like our Sensei who was much more reserved. It is said that as Hashirama-sama gazed upon the corpse of his daughter, every building in Konoha fell down in pieces due to the might of his chakra. No one had really seen the full extent of his power before, not even Uchiha Madara."

"By then, he had tamed all nine Bijuu and they were little more than his pets. The entirety of Konoha wanted the blood of Taki for this slight, and they stood behind Hashirama as one. But Hashirama went alone to Taki with the Bijuu…and wiped out the entire village. He let the Bijuu loose on the village and he dealt with all their Shinobi personally. The sight of him and the Nine Bijuu annihilating an entire country by themselves terrified the nations and gave him the title he is known by. That is the truth of the First Ninja war. That is the true might of Konoha."

Danzo looked positively elated at the pride on the faces of the Shinobi and Hokage. This was the time to air his proposal.

"And that is the status I wish for Konoha to have once more" he said, gaining the complete attention of the posse. He saw Mito looking at him suspiciously…he did not wish to use her personal tragedy to further his purpose but there was no other alternative.

"Listen well to my proposal, Hokage-sama and elite Shinobi of Konoha."

….


	15. Chapter 15

**HI readers! Here is the latest update. Thank you for all your precious encouragements and critiques. They are well appreciated!**

**Regards,**

**Karldin.**

CHAPTER 15

**_Look, you idiot…I am trying to tell you something important. Your dear mother is not what she seems to be, you must be careful,_**whispered Kurama in Naruto's mind. Naruto was travelling to Kumogakure with Sasuke in tow. As they breezed through the forests Kurama kept on harping about his mother's supposed duplicity.

He himself had sensed some conflict in his mother's mind, true. But he didn't really believe she was up to anything dangerous or questionable. He did understand that everyone had their dirty laundry, he himself was no exception.

**_You have more than most! But leaving her own son, however wise and strong to go alone to a nearly hostile nation? Hashirama, were you always this stupid or did you get so when you awoke in this life? Kushina literally pushed you to Kumo while she anointed herself Konoha's liaison to Kiri. Doesn't that say something?_**Asked the Kyuubi sarcastically. Naruto shook his head, also sensing for the approach of any Kumo ninja.

_My mother is not one to be wary of. She obviously has personal business she does not care to share with me and I respect that. But she would not do anything against the Village, Kyuubi! _Said Naruto stubbornly.

**_Your naïveté never ceases to amaze me, _**said Kurama snorting and retreated deep into the seal. Naruto turned to Sasuke. "How do your eyes feel?" he asked. He was not sure how much he had healed Sasuke, really. The fact was that the curse mark and the Mangekyo Sharingan had never existed in the same body before and even he could not predict accurately what effect it would have upon the victim.

Sasuke did not reply for a minute, and Naruto felt in him boiling emotions. Recent revelations about his brother combined with the stressful happenings of late had thoroughly changed the young Uchiha.

"My eyes feel good, thank you" said Sasuke. Naruto's eyebrows rose…this was remarkable. Sasuke was actually thanking people! A sign of hope, mused Naruto. After travelling in silence for quite some time, Sasuke spoke up once more.

"Why is everyone targeting me? Orochimaru, Akatsuki…what is their problem? Is it not enough that I have lost everyone I love? Why can't they just leave me be?" he sighed with tiredness. Naruto's compassion reared at this monologue of Sasuke's, he could understand all too well what the Uchiha felt.

"I am afraid you won't be left alone for quite a while yet, Sasuke. We both have powers that are central to Konoha's survival, as does Itachi. The Hokage, me and Mito, you, Kaa-san and Itachi…we will be in the centre of happenings in the Shinobi world for many years to come. Do not be sad, Sasuke" he said noting the depressed nature of Sasuke's mind.

Depression was possibly the worst thing any Shinobi might experience. Their way of life was already depressing…additional burden may well break a Shinobi. He had to head this off immediately.

"We are alive in a beautiful time. Our way of life is harsh and demands many a sacrifice, but we can change the world completely if we so wish. Learn from your brother, Sasuke. Aspire to be like him…to sacrifice without expecting anything in return. To kill with compassion, to protect your dependants with everything in you. That is a true ninja in my opinion" said Naruto.

Sasuke thought on this for some time, and then smirked. "When did _you_ get so wise, Dobe?"

"When you were busy emoing yourself into oblivion you teme!" replied Naruto without missing a beat. The duo smirked together and continued with renewed vigour. For once Naruto felt not the age of Senju Hashirama, but like a kid his age should be.

_I should do this more often…bantering with Sasuke is a good way of centering myself,_ he thought happily. **_Tcheh, consorting with Uchiha! Though I must admit, that runt Sasuke's brother is someone I can respect_****, **rumbled Kurama.

….

"Mito-sama, I am afraid Danzo actually has a following. He swayed many Jounin to his side with that speech of his…If ROOT is officially reinstated I am afraid Konoha will be split right down the middle" said Jiraiya gravely.

The two were walking down the garden Naruto had created during his first meeting with Mito in this life. Surprising them all, Danzo had asked for reinstating the ROOT division of the ANBU. Many Shinobi thought he would ask for weaponizing Naruto Uzumaki or Uchiha Sasuke. Or even worse: both.

His speech was very stirring and the reasons he gave were actually valid. If ROOT had the clandestine support of the administration then it could use its anonymity and freedom to carry out missions even the ANBU could not.

"My husband would never stand for Danzo's brutal training, Jiraiya. But the fact is…I somewhat agree with Danzo" she said causing Jiraiya's eyes to widen. "Don't be so alarmed. If we can convince him to drop or at least lessen his emotion wiping, the ROOT will be a great resource for Konoha. Hiruzen, I think, was a little too hasty in disbanding that division" she finished. Jiraiya frowned, thinking it over.

"I still don't think Naruto will ever stand for ROOT's reinstatement. Neither would Minato, nor will I. Ninja are human, Mito-sama…we are not emotionless killers. I would prefer Konoha not to sully itself with Danzo's atrocious schemes" he said strongly.

Mito sighed. "Leave it be, Jiraiya. I will defer to my husband's decision in this matter…Has your spy network uncovered any news of Akatsuki?"

"Rumours only, Mito-sama. Akatsuki seem to be getting ready for some sort of mission, _and_ they are beginning to establish a small township of their own in Iwa. I am afraid they are beginning to become a concrete entity instead of some obscure organization of criminals. Orochimaru is gathering missing nins at Otogakure and Takigakure has Akatsuki presence. Ame is closed to all foreign Shinobi" he listed off.

"Then I guess you received the same intel about Suna as I did?" asked Mito. Jiraiya nodded, "If you are talking about Suna trying to retrieve their Jinchuuriki from Kumo, then yes. Akatsuki might have a hand in that move, but I doubt it. I think Suna is acting separately from Akatsuki this once. Now that Naruto is going there I think our alliance with Kumo will be rock solid. No one in Suna can beat our Naruto" he said proud of his godson.

"Of that we can be sure" agreed Mito, as they used the _shunshin_ to gracefully enter the village.

…..

"Do you really think this is wise, Pain?" asked Itachi as they casually walked towards the Hidden Village of cloud. Pain was striding forward purposefully, his robes fluttering in the fierce wind that was whipping up in the forest. Itachi did not think that they would escape unscathed if they were to execute this plan.

"Yes, Itachi. Akatsuki needs the Bijuu eventually, and we cannot have Suna making a move on the Ichibi Jinchuuriki so soon. What we _can_ do however, is capturing Ichibi and Niibi when they are both in the same place and then keep them in captivity, and then get ready for the sealing technique."

Itachi gave an infinitesimal nod, and continued his walk. Kumo was home to many strong ninja and he wondered how they were to penetrate the tight defence and capture Sabaku no Gaara.

"I assume you don't want to infiltrate the Village?" asked Itachi, sure of Pain's answer. The man had a deep-seated belief that he was God, and acted the way he perceived a god should act. Sure enough, Pain replied:

"I am God, Itachi. God needs no deception to accomplish his aims…we simply attack Kumo, extract the Jinchuuriki and get back to base. If they stand in our way I will have to annihilate them" declared Pain.

_I cannot warn Naruto or Konoha of this development,_ thought Itachi sadly. He would have to kill many Kumo Shinobi today to maintain his cover, for no one could stop him and Pain together.

_If I am forced to use my Mangekyo, the only result will be a bloodbath. If Pain really uses his Rinnegan, then the only result will be a natural disaster. Either way Kumo faces destruction today. Even the Raikage will be unable to stop us both,_ he thought. He had made quite a few friends among Kumo Jounin during his ANBU years and it would tear his heart to kill them.

_I only hope my reputation will at least make them cautious._

…

"That's far enough!" said a voice determinedly, causing Naruto and Sasuke to halt. Naruto had sensed the interceptor quite some time ago and he assumed they were being analysed and watched. The chakra he sensed was familiar but was accompanied by two other unfamiliar chakras.

"Hello, Yugito-san. Nice to see you so soon after the tournament" he greeted pleasantly. Suddenly, three Ninja stood before them in a _shunshin_. Accompanying the Niibi Jinchuuriki were two ninja he did not recognize.

"I am Darui, Jounin of Kumo and this is Killer Bee brother of the Raikage. It seems you have already met Yugito…So, what is Uzumaki Naruto doing in our territory?" asked the now identified Darui lazily. Naruto immersed himself in the chakras of the two and smirked. The Raikage had sent out his strongest ninja in case Naruto proved to be a threat.

"I am here as a diplomatic representative of Konoha, and with a missive to your Raikage from the Hokage. Please escort us to Kumogakure, Darui-san" said Naruto formally. While he was never formal with anyone in his other life, it paid to respect customs.

"Who's the brat, yo!" exclaimed Killer Bee pointing at Sasuke. "Uchiha Sasuke" grunted Sasuke and went right back to his brooding. Naruto stared straight at Bee, however, flaring his Chakra. He could sense the Bijuu within Bee respond to his power with a spike of its own chakra and he recognized it immediately.

_That's Gyuuki isn't it, Kurama? I can sense that he is at peace now. Odd…he was the most violent of all of you back when you were all with me. His Jinchuuriki must be extraordinary,_ thought Naruto with wonder.

**_Yeah it's Gyuuki. That moron, he always got the oddest 'Jinchuuriki'. Do you know once when we were young, he was sealed into a Hyena? The thing couldn't stand so much chakra so it died after a short while.I believe Gyuuki got his stoic sense of humour after that…he'd had enough laughter for a lifetime,_**recounted Kurama. Naruto burst into laughter at the tale causing everyone to glare at him. Gaining control of himself rather fast, he continued his interaction still breaking into smiles every time he looked at Bee.

"Is there a problem?" asked Darui sternly. Naruto shook his head, "No, not really Darui-san. I just remembered a joke…please don't take offense."

"YO! Why are you all here when you could tremble in fear! In front of my brother the Hidden Cloud's master, wheeeee!" yelled Bee. Expressions that said they were long suffering the bad rap of Bee appeared on the faces of his comrades.

"Forgive Bee's bad rap, Naruto-san. But he makes a good point, you know. Shall we proceed to the Village? It is already time for patrols to change and our shift is over…" said Yugito.

Naruto nodded and the five ninja shot forward in their _Shunshins_ like blurs, racing towards the Village of Cloud.

A dozen minutes later they stood in front of the Raikage's office, and Naruto admired the beautiful glass panelling of the buildings here. It made it seem as if the entire village were a mass of beautiful jewels due to its reflective properties. The military organization of the Village was admirable having crisp organization and sound hierarchy.

It could respond well to most threats at a moment's notice. Naruto saw a lot of things Konoha could emulate from the Cloud village, it would benefit from an alliance with this village.

"Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke to see the Raikage on behalf of Konoha!" announced Darui. The sexy secretary looked Naruto once over and nodded, ushering them in. Naruto stepped in with his guards and Sasuke, deeply sampling the Chakra that saturated the room.

The Raikage stood tall the behind a desk, a very powerfully built man. Naruto could sense the vitality and power the man oozed and decided that he had the strength to be Kage. He sensed the curiosity and tension in the Raikage and concluded that the man was a shrewd but temperamental tactician.

"So, you are Naruto Uzumaki are you, brat?" questioned the Raikage in a deep voice of menace. Naruto nodded respectfully, and withdrew the missive. Sasuke just watched from the background his shrewd eyes observing and evaluating.

"A missive for you, Raikage. Konoha extends its friendship to your nation at this juncture, and I am sure you have thought of it as well. It is time to put aside our nations' histories and work together towards a common goal" declared Naruto, handing the missive to the secretary who read it in a few seconds and whispered to the Raikage.

Naruto sat patiently through it all, observing the Raikage calmly. He could sense Sasuke's apprehension increasing as the Raikage's face grew angry. He didn't flinch as the Raikage appeared behind him in a flash of blue and his body began to emit _Raiton_ chakra in enormous quantities.

"You brat! How dare your village demand _all_ our Jinchuuriki in your so called strike force? Do you have any idea what it is you are asking? I REFUSE to share our Bijuu with Konoha you milk fed little toddler!" roared the Raikage. Here the Raikage's chakra practically exploded on Naruto, causing exasperated looks to appear on his subordinates' faces.

Sasuke seemed amused at Naruto being called a 'milk fed toddler'. Naruto himself was quite amused with the Raikage's juvenile insult. He had never_ ever _been insulted that way, and really, he found it quite funny. His mouth twitched as he looked at the Raikage who towered over him.

"Fool! What kind of a messenger are you? You dare laugh at me?" snarled the Raikage.

Naruto controlled himself, and replied "No, Raikage. Would you please get your chakra down a bit? It's impressive, but I don't think we need it in a meeting between nations, hmm?"

Yugito and Bee winced as the Raikage appeared with blinding speed above Naruto and slammed him into the ground with terrific force. Sasuke could only stand stunned as he could not even follow the Raikage's speed.

"That's for telling me what to do in my own office, you loudmouthed brat! This meeting is over" said the Raikage. The crater that housed Naruto glowed a faint green before a voice spoke up:

"Not really, Raikage. I am not called God of Shinobi for nothing, you know" said Naruto standing up nonchalantly. The Raikage's punch seemed to be absent from his chest as he looked critically at the Raikage with bright green eyes.

Yugito gasped and Darui's eyes widened in surprise. But Bee seemed quite occupied in his little notebook. The Raikage's eyes bugged out and this time his Chakra rapidly escalated as he stared at Naruto. Naruto stared impassively at the Raikage, all traces of humour gone.

"You _will_ listen to me, and you _will_ give our proposal fair hearing. It is required for peace, and I will see it happen. I have no wish to fight you, Raikage" asserted Naruto. This man respected strength more than anything and it seemed he would have to show him his own.

"I would like to see you try" said the Raikage in a deadly voice as he disappeared from view and appeared behind Naruto and directed a chop at his neck. Naruto did nothing to stop him, but infused his body with enormous healing Chakra that made him glow green. The wound caused by the Raikage closed down immediately.

"Don't try to fight me, Raikage. You will not like the results…I do not wish to beat another country's Kage to the ground!" warned Naruto one last time as they faced each other. It seemed that the last taunt had done the wrong trick as the Raikage seemed enraged beyond anything. The Kumo Jounin actually looked concerned as the Raikage seemed to go berserk with his rage.

_He had to go and antagonize Raikage-sama. The boy is good but no one can stand up to the Raikage's speed, _thought Darui as he wrote a mental obituary for a young Shinobi named Uzumaki Naruto.

…

Pain and Itachi lowered their hoods as they faced the guards at the gate of the Cloud Village. The guards looked at them with a bored face, asking them to provide identification and purpose.

"My name is not your concern and my purpose is to create Peace" said Pain in a certain voice. Itachi truly admired Pain's fearlessness and confidence in his own power.

The guards looked up then, and when they looked at Itachi absolute fear bloomed on their faces. The gate guards of any village were updated on the complete Bingo books frequently and they would surely be familiar with him.

One guard fainted, and another sent a signal asking for the others to gather and to further alert the Village. One went directly to the Kage tower as Pain and Itachi simply watched. Numbers made little difference to them, and they took their time observing the village. Pain watched as a Shinobi threw himself at Itachi with a Katana, and watched as the Shinobi simply dropped dead as he looked into Itachi's eyes.

The two Akatsuki calmly strode forward, noting that a defense had been formed rapidly in front of the gate. Pain's _Rinnegan_ shone as he said impassively: "If you stand against me, you will all be destroyed. Leave. I only want all your Jinchuuriki"

"D…Die, nuke-nin scum!" screamed a Kumo Shinobi uncertainly. Itachi internally sighed, Pain would absolutely slaughter this detachment of men. He was proved right when Pain raised his hands and intoned:

_"Shinra Tensei!"_

Overwhelming force swept everything in front of the Akatsuki to rubble: Gate and guards and everything. Alarms began to sound in Kumo signalling a breach in the village as the Two Akatsuki walked in unconcernedly into the Cloud Village.

"_Katon: Housenka Tsubakeni" _

Itachi's jutsu skewered another dozen Shinobi as it rained several fire shuriken with deadly speed and accuracy. Pain smoothly flowed into his Taijutsu, incapacitating and killing the Shinobi that ran towards them with impunity. Itachi slowly took towards his designated half of the Village and no one could stop the true heir of the Sharingan as he countered attacks with absolute efficiency, using both Genjutsu and Taijutsu with his hallmark proficiency.

Itachi heard the explosions that meant Pain was simply sweeping away opposition with Gravity itself. He was to search for Gaara in his half of the Village and meet Pain at the Kage tower. Looking everywhere with his constantly activated Sharingan, he spied for the elusive Ichibi.

With a powerful kick, he sent a Kumo chuunin barrelling into the wall as he simultaneously replaced himself with a Kage Bunshin. The Street was now emptied of civilians as several Shinobi fell upon Itachi. Casting a very strong wide area Genjutsu with a flick of his fingers, he confused the orientation and sight of the attacking Shinobi. Moments later, twenty Shinobi fell dead as Itachi had punctured their vital points with the Taijutsu he had copied from the Hyuuga when he was but ten.

Itachi flashed through the streets with his highly refined _shunshin_, randomly killing Chuunin. With an enormous Fireball Technique he blew a building into pieces, throwing the street into chaos. In the other direction he could sense Pain blowing a trail of destruction through the village.

He spied another dozen chuunin coming at him to his left. They could not escape his Sharingan as he could identify them neatly.

"_Raiton: Inazuma no nami" _yelled the Shinobi together. A powerful arc of lightning twenty metres long connected with Itachi, causing the nuke-nin to explode into a murder of crows that reformed behind them. The Uchiha then appeared in their midst and cut them down before they could react.

_If this goes on, we will have to depopulate this place by ourselves. I hope I can find the Ichibi soon_, thought Itachi soon as stopped another nin's heart gently with a pulse of chakra.

…..

"RAIKAGE-SAMA!" yelled Shee as he burst into the office urgently. The sight that faced him was one that was all too familiar…it seemed that their Raikage was having one of his famous temper tantrums and was taking it out on a guest.

"Raikage-sama, the crisis that faces our village is serious. I have news that-"began Shee rapidly. The Raikage held up his hand angrily, still glaring at Naruto. "Shee, can't you see I am busy?" he snarled.

"THIS IS IMPORTANT!" yelled Shee as an explosion tore through the streets of their village. Out of the glass walls of the office, they saw another building undergo a fiery explosion. The noise of panicked civilians and organizing Shinobi erupted suddenly in the Village and it was apparent that they were under attack. The Raikage's face became cold as he turned to Shee who was looking at the continuous explosions and wails of dying Shinobi with dismay.

"Report. Who are the invaders?" questioned the Raikage immediately, forgetting the existence of Naruto and the Uchiha. "Only two of them, Raikage-sama. Akatsuki, both of them. They are tearing up our defences easily and we are dying by the dozen. We need you and Bee-san to contain them ASAP!" rattled off Shee.

The Office shook violently, the glass shattering to bits. Recognition flared in Naruto's eyes as he identified the two who were attacking the Village with all the efficiency of an army. The Raikage made as if to leave, but he appeared in front of the temperamental leader and said:

"Do not take any Jinchuuriki with you, Raikage. The ones you face are the Leader of the Akatsuki and Uchiha Itachi. They are here to take Jinchuuriki, of that there is no doubt. We need to lead them away from your village" said Naruto urgently.

"Why you little-" snarled the Raikage, but Naruto did not allow him to finish. The already battered office developed cracks as he unleashed his potent chakra, and the desk exploded into pieces at its power. Shee fell down to the ground with Yugito, their sensor abilities magnifying their inability to resist the power.

As another building in the village was blown into bits and fire began to spread, he faced down the stunned Raikage. "Old man, I am trying to _save_ your village. Listen carefully, I have fought these men before."

He looked around at Yugito and Bee.

"Do not come out, Bee and Yugito-san. Sasuke, do not confront your brother. This is not the time for that confrontation. DO NOT ARGUE!" he shouted angrily, noticing the mutinous expression on Sasuke's face. He flared his chakra even more in preparation to fight Pain _and_ Itachi simultaneously.

**_This will be hard, Hashirama. The Rinnegan birthed me and the Sharingan controlled me. Both those eyes are beyond dangerous. Be careful!_**, cautioned Kurama. Naruto gave a mental nod, and a physical one to the ones in the room.

"Raikage, this is my duty. Itachi is a Konoha nuke-nin and I have to deal with him personally. I will have to accompany you on this" said Naruto as his Chakra did not stop rising. His relief increased as the Raikage nodded, and the two of them disappeared to the central square of Kumo where both their opponents had joined up again.

…..

"Where is the boy?" asked Pain, looking at Itachi who seemed unscathed. All the Kumo Shinobi seemed to be organizing a new assault on the invaders, so they were left untroubled for now.

"Not in my sector" replied Itachi coolly, his Sharingan observing the spies riddled everywhere. "It appears as if-" he paused as powerful chakra filled the village, slightly surpassing his own. "The Raikage is responding, it seems" he said, getting ready to activate Mangekyo Sharingan. The Raikage was too dangerous to be handled otherwise.

"The Kage are nothing before me" said Pain arrogantly as he searched around with his Rinnegan. But abruptly another Chakra began to bloom along with the Raikage's, a chakra whose potency and vastness dwarfed everyone else in the Village including them. Even Pain took a step back as the chakra of Senju Hashirama gathered like some unstoppable ocean, challenging them defiantly.

_Naruto is here!_ thought Itachi with exultation. Akatsuki's latest endeavour would be that much more difficult with the Reborn Shodai against Pain. He could feel the Raikage approaching rapidly along with Naruto, the combined chakra making the Shinobi of the cloud sweat and shiver.

"Another Jinchuuriki is here to meet his fate. We capture Kyuubi first then, Itachi" said Pain. Itachi was no longer sure they could do that. The fight with Naruto would have to be real as his cover was of utmost importance.

They rushed to meet their opponents, paying no regard to the Ninja who feebly tried to attack them. Pain just blasted them out of the way.

_One way or another this village is destroyed,_ thought Itachi._ No mere village can contain the damage of opponents like us meeting in battle._

…

With two rapid body flickers, Naruto stood in the main Square of the Village with the Raikage. He could see Shinobi lining the buildings and walls and could feel them drifting around the village evacuating the civilians and children. He turned to the Raikage and said:

"You take care of Itachi. I will take care of the other one. Be very careful, Raikage. You do not want to underestimate the Uchiha" warned Naruto, causing the Raikage to scoff. Naruto heard the faint displacement of air and turned to face his greatest opponent for now.

"Turn back now, Pain. Turn back now, and I might spare your life. I will protect my allies and village no matter the cost. Go" said Naruto impassively, not really expecting for his request to work. The Raikage however was incensed at the sight of the two who had marauded through his village.

"I will make you _bleed_, Itachi. How dare you attack my village and dare to face me? Traitorous scum like you should never have the fortune to die at _my_ hands!" he snarled. Itachi did not even look at the Raikage, instead choosing to stare at Naruto. Pain was doing the same and they completely ignored the Raikage.

"This time, you are ours Naruto Uzumaki. Submit to God's judgement and save yourself suffering. This is my final warning" said Pain as he clasped his hands in the serpent seal. Naruto's eyes widened as he sensed the otherworldly chakra Pain was creating with that seal.

_This man does not play around, _he thought as he scoffed at Pain. "You, a god? Don't flatter yourself. You may have the eyes but you know nothing. I will teach you the difference between us" he said with resolve. Killing Pain would be hard enough, but with Itachi maintaining his cover it would be nigh impossible.

But he could drive him away for now. Without wasting a single moment he attacked Pain with his favourite technique: "_Jukai Koutan"_ he said calmly holding up the half-ram seal. He could see the Raikage disappear from view and attack Itachi with unbelievable speed and power. Itachi would be hard pressed to counter absolute speed of the Raikage combined with lethal _Raiton_ techniques.

Trees as large as the Hokage tower blasted out of the ground in hundreds and rushed towards Pain, crushing everything in its path. Buildings were crushed to pieces as the rapidly expanding and branching trees rushed towards Pain with terrific force, and the Kumo Shinobi leaped high to avoid early deaths.

Pain's eyes glowed blue as he opened his clasped hands to reveal a ball of absolute blackness, which he sent floating high into the sky. The trees were almost upon him nearly condemning him to a painful death when he shouted:

"_CHIBAKU TENSEI!"_

Within seconds, the huge main square began to splinter and crack with sharp reports. Then with a huge rush the earth that made up the large area disintegrated with a huge sound and rushed upwards towards the black ball, taking the hundreds of trees with them. Naruto's eyes widened as even he was sent floating towards the black ball at an alarming pace.

_This is Rikodou's Planetary Jutsu. __But it is far from having Rikodou's power behind it...Pain, you do not know what you are playing with._

_…._

Yugito watched with terrified eyes as humongous pieces of the village of Kumo began floating upwards rapidly, attracted by the black ball Pain had thrown. Naruto himself was buried in the huge sphere that was forming up in the sky, shining like a small planet. Slowly, the debris and rocks stopped rising and a large crater stood where the main square of Kumo once was.

"This fight…it is beyond Kage level" she murmured, amazed at the techniques being used. She knew she could do nothing against the Rinnegan wielder, and nothing against Itachi who was easily matching the Raikage.

"He is countering A-sama with very skilled Genjutsu" said Darui, watching both battles for any opening. A seemed to attack Itachi with the speed of the Yellow Flash, but he never actually hit the rogue Uchiha who seemed to anticipate every place the Raikage would flash to.

"8 says you don't need to worry about the Uzumaki. He says he is not yet dead" said Bee, for once coming out of rap mode. Yugito was stunned at that. Naruto was most likely dead, being buried under thousands of tons of earth did that to people.

But the battle had not yet ended, for a rumbling sound was beginning within the huge earth sphere floating in the sky. It escalated to painful proportions as rocks were crushed within the sphere, causing Pain to narrow his eyes in frustration.

With an unbelievably explosive report, the heavenly body created by Pain broke in half and fell to the ground destroying a huge section of the Village. Floating high in the air was a massive Wood Dragon, Naruto standing upon its head.

The dragon began to shine silver as its creator slammed his palm together and shouted: "_Mokuton: Ryuko no Jutsu!"_, and from the mouth of the Wood Dragon descended a huge beam of solid silver light that lent its brightness to the entire devastated landscape.

**_That is Hashirama's Dragon Light. I was hit by that once and it took ME a week to reform,_**said Niibi, causingYugito to gasp again. This was too much…no man should have such strength! She watched with her heart beating erratically as the two Shinobi in front of her wielded powers that should never be. The _Dragon Light_ descended with rushing force and slammed into the ground where Pain was standing with an explosion that rattled her teeth and sent shockwaves in all directions.

When the huge cloud of dust cleared, it revealed Itachi standing over the prone form of the Raikage. Darui's expression became extremely alarmed…if _A-sama_ himself were unable to subdue the invaders…

It also revealed Naruto staring down both Pain and Itachi as he stood upon his Wood Dragon. The detail in the structure of the Dragon amazed Yugito to no end…she would say it was real with no hesitation save that it was made of wood.

….

Naruto sighed as he saw Itachi defeat the Raikage. It seemed as if the _eternal Mangekyo _was a little too much even for the leader of the Cloud. Only he had ever defeated an Eternal Mangekyo user, but Itachi was different from Madara. In skills and sheer genius, Itachi surpassed Madara who in Naruto's opinion was an embodiment of power.

Itachi had both enormous skill and power.

"So it comes down to us three" murmured, looking at his two opponents. Pain extended his palm and announced in a deep voice: "_Bansho Ten'in!"_. Naruto felt himself pulled toward Pain brutally and saw the Akatsuki leader pull out sharp chakra rods to pierce him.

A few yards shy of death by impalement, he twisted in the air and kicked Pain with all his considerable strength causing the Akatsuki to slam into the ground with terrific force. At the same time he heard Itachi's voice proclaim: "_Amaterasu"_

A tree sprouted in front of him to take the brunt of the heavenly flames. Naruto winced as he felt the tree burn to nothing and stared at Itachi's eyes, looking at his Eternal Mangekyo for the first time.

And he gasped in surprise. He never knew that a Mangekyo could take on _this_ shape, for sitting in the middle of Uchiha Itachi's red pupil was the symbol of the Uchiha clan.

_Is Itachi the perfect Uchiha?_ wondered Naruto._ Is he my counterpart from the clan of Hatred? __**These are not trivial opponents you idiot! To match both of them at once, you need to take them seriously. That Itachi fellow with the Uchiha Mangekyo is at least as dangerous as the Rinnegan wielder.**_

_I know that, Kurama._

"_Mokuton: Hotei no Jutsu!" _ said Naruto and massive hands of wood burst out all around Itachi and Pain, seeking to crush them. Pain blasted them to smithereens, but Itachi unveiled something intimately familiar to Naruto.

Golden fire materialized in front of Itachi and spread to form a huge skeleton of chakra with four hands. In its two hands it bore legendary weapons, the Sword of Totsuka and the Yata Mirror. In the other two hands it held the fires of _Amaterasu._

_Looks like I will have to get serious_, mused Naruto. **_That is what I am trying to tell you, you overconfident moron!_**, snarled the Kyuubi.

With a single slash of the Totsuka blade, all of his invading wood hands were sealed into it permanently. Naruto watched as Pain appeared beside Itachi who was wreathed with a still incomplete _Susano_. This time, he would not let Pain go.

With a roar, his Wood dragon rushed towards the duo. Silver light blasted out of its mouth in a raging torrent as Naruto unleashed the _Dragon_ _Light_ once more. But it was to no avail as the beam split into two as it met the Yata Mirror, and collided with the ground separately causing debris to fly everywhere.

Itachi met the onslaught of the Wood Dragon with the Yata Mirror which Naruto could not penetrate. Simultaneously, Pain appeared smoothly beside the large Wood Dragon and laid a hand on its body.

"_Shinra Tensei"_

Naruto leapt off his Wood Dragon as it was sent careening into the distance crashing through several buildings. This was getting ridiculous, he thought. The longer this fight went on, whatever remained of Kumo would get ground into extremely fine dust.

As he looked around, he saw the devastation this fight had caused to the Cloud Village. It made the creation of the Akatsuki response force even more vital than before. It could only be hoped that the hot headed Raikage would see sense at least now.

But for now he would end the fight. He had to convince Pain to let up on his offensive for a time. The sky grew dark as he summoned his strength and intoned powerfully:

"_Mokuton: Kami soko"_

His chakra sang as he melded Mokuton to rise up from the earth, forming a huge wooden skeleton that encased him completely. He could see Itachi's stunned face as he created a Mokuton version of the Susano. He had created this technique specifically to battle the Uchiha who were_ so _proud of their Susano wielders.

"This is my technique, _The God Armor._ I will warn the two of you again…leave. I won't hold back from here onwards as I don't have to worry about saving the village. The citizens are all safe and evacuated. You both are but children playing with things that should be left alone. Go back to your Village!" he abjured them.

"Tall words" said Pain, who had recovered from the momentary shock of seeing _the_ Uchiha jutsu imitated by Naruto. "I will tear apart the wood easily, Uzumaki…or Itachi will cut it to shreds. Submit to me or die" he said in a certain voice.

_I will strip this man of his god-complex, _resolved Naruto as he pumped his extraordinary chakra through the highly conducive _god armor._ His skeletal construct shone a blinding silver as the wood turned transparent, making it look exactly like the Susano. It even towered over Itachi's Susano as its own four arms began to manifest various weapons.

The two upper arms bore enormous long swords of bright silver chakra, and blue chakra began to swirl in the palms of the arms below. _Now for the hard part_, thought Naruto as he caused Oodama Rasengan to appear in the lower arms. The eyes of his _Kami Soko _began to shine with white fire as he turned to face a flabbergasted Itachi and Pain.

"I told you I would stop holding back", he said gravely as his _God Armor_ raised its swords and swung them towards Pain, the force of its slash ripping up the ground everywhere. Pain managed to repel the force-slash with Gravity manipulation and rushed towards Naruto whose _Kami Soko_ slammed an Oodama Rasengan with terrific force at Itachi's _Susano._

_I expected that_, thought Naruto as a terrible explosion ensued once more. Itachi's _Susano_ stood unscathed as it held out the Yata mirror. Naruto met the swing of the Totsuka sword with one of his own long swords, causing the air to ripple all around them. He slammed the remaining Oodama Rasengan at the rapidly approaching Pain, but the Akatsuki leader held up his hands to meet the massive attack.

_You used Preta-path, just as I thought. Time to show you the real meaning of power_, thought Naruto as Pain drained out the Rasengan with the Preta-path. The massive _Kami Soko_ made fists of its now free lower two hands and slammed them with unbelievable force on the Akatsuki leader who had clearly not expected that attack. The already wounded ground exploded once more in a large circular explosion as Pain's body was crushed completely.

He felt the life-force of the fallen Akatsuki return to the real Pain far away. Itachi's _Susano _wavered and dissipated as he appeared next to Pain's now crushed body, gathering it easily in his arms. Before leaving, he looked at Naruto with his _Eternal Mangekyo _and caught him with _Tsukuyomi_.

Naruto released his _God Armor _as he felt reality waver around him. This time, Itachi's Genjutsu was very strong…he doubted he could break out without his _Sage Mode_ or Kurama.

Itachi's Tsukuyomi was now not a world of racing white and red. No, it was a bottomless black void they stood in…a void that would probably render the mind of the weak into pieces. Naruto turned as Itachi appeared in front of him with a whisper.

"Why did the two of you attack Kumo, Itachi? Though I think it will help in mobilizing the nations against Akatsuki…" he shook his head as Itachi stared at him. "It was fortunate I was here to stop Pain. He is still not used to unifying the Six Paths in another body and using all of them at once. Where is he learning all this? I found it quite hard to fight him."

Itachi considered his words for a time, and replied.

"Firstly, the temptation of having two Jinchuuriki with such ease was too appealing to Akatsuki. The impostor seemed to think having two Jinchuuriki in reserve beforehand would accelerate his plans. I am sorry I could not do more, Naruto. My cover is the highest priority, as you well know" sighed Itachi.

"Indeed" said Naruto. "But you fought extremely well, Itachi. When the time comes I have no doubt we can keep Konoha safe from Akatsuki" he said with a distant look. "I noticed the shape of your _Eternal Sharingan_. It is extremely fitting, Itachi. Perhaps it is fate's way of marking the true heir of the Sharingan" he mused.

Itachi just smiled and said, "That may be…but I never knew you could match my Susano with one of your own. How many aces do you have in your sleeve, _Shodai Hokage?"_ he asked with a kind of amused wonder.

Naruto just grinned. "We all have our secrets"

Then his face grew serious. "I cannot let another Village experience the aftermath of battles between me and Pain. I will try to find some means of rapid communication between us, Itachi" Itachi nodded at this.

"I must leave, Naruto" he said. Naruto nodded readying himself to return to reality. Before Itachi let go, he asked: "One last thing, Itachi. Why do you call me Naruto suddenly? I thought you wanted me to be Hashirama?"

Itachi just shook his head and answered, "The past haunts us all with its weight, Naruto. It is in the future we can hope to redefine ourselves and gain hope. The future is real, and the past is gone"

Naruto smiled wholeheartedly at Itachi's answer as the _Tsukuyomi_ wavered and Itachi disappeared into the distance with the Remains of Pain's Deva Path.

_He understands. He understands completely._

…..

The Raikage walked through the Village of Kumo surveying the damage to his village with a frown. The North half of the village completely demolished after Naruto fought Pain and Itachi, testifying to the level of their fight.

His entourage looked at the broken buildings and the large craters with sadness and a hint of wonder. Shinobi knew when to appreciate strength, and this was probably the most awe inspiring battle they had ever seen. It seemed the rumours of Uzumaki Naruto's strength was not really an exaggeration.

_If anything, it is an understatement, _snorted the Raikage to himself. Though he was extremely angered at the loss of half his Village, he supposed that he owed Naruto for containing Pain's assault within just the northern half. It was thanks to the young Uzumaki that his people were saved, and thanks to the highly efficient organization of his Shinobi.

"Raikage-sama…rebuilding all this is an enormous task. We will have to commission specialists for the task, and that will take resources we do not have now. We will have to increase mission intake" said Darui lazily.

"I suppose-"started the Raikage, but was interrupted by the arrival of his guests. Naruto stood in front of him with Sasuke, who was wearing a sullen expression. Naruto turned to survey the utter and widespread devastation his fight had caused, and said "I will construct the northern half as you wish it. Consider it a gift of goodwill from Konoha, Raikage"

"Naruto!" exclaimed Yugito as Bee sent him a thumbs up sign. Naruto smiled at them but looked at the Raikage enquiringly.

A seemed conflicted, but Naruto continued. "I assume you now see the need for alliance. I was able to stop them for now, but this war will not be all about me. We need rapid response forces to deal with Akatsuki in all the allied nations. We need our three nations to join, for there is no other way to counter the rising power bloc of the Akatsuki" he said solemnly.

A's expression cleared as Naruto spoke, and for once the Kage spoke with a calm voice. "You speak the truth. I will see what I can do to convince the council of this. I will never let this happen to my Village ever again, I swear it"

…..


	16. Chapter 16

CHAPTER 16

The Yondaime Raikage stared at his newly reconstructed village with an awe he did not show on his face. He truly had not expected for the old Village to be duplicated so perfectly after its destruction…his Village had been ravaged by fire and forest, by overwhelming force.

But now it was as if nothing had happened to Kumogakure, as if the attack by the Akatsuki was but a bad memory. He turned to Uzumaki Naruto who looked at him enquiringly.

"My construction is to your satisfaction, I believe, Raikage?" he asked politely, as if he did things like this on a daily basis. The Raikage was startled out of his wonderings, and replied hastily.

"Yes, yes it is excellent. It appears Kumogakure owes you a great debt, Uzumaki Naruto. For stopping the Akatsuki onslaught and for reconstructing our home, we owe you much" admitted the Raikage, who truly did not like being in the debt of a clearly more powerful village such as Konoha.

Naruto sensed the man's feelings, and graciously let him off the hook. "No debts, Raikage. All I request of you is that you accede to Konoha's request to form a response force. The need for which you have already seen to be necessary. And I do not need to explain politics to a sly old fox like you, now do I?"

The Raikage gave a barking kind of laugh and Naruto grinned as the Raikage slapped him on the back in a comradely fashion.

"Certainly not, young man" at this Naruto felt Kurama's amusement. "And I have important news. Takigakure has allied with Akatsuki completely and that makes alliance with Konoha all the more important. Tell Tsunade that we will have to meet soon with Mizukage to form a triumvirate alliance"

Naruto inclined his head in acquiescence. As they walked on, they came across Sasuke who was sparring with Yugito. Naruto sighed as Sasuke redoubled his efforts, trying to win a Kenjutsu match against an experienced Jounin.

_**Just tell the brat who you are, Hashirama. At least it will stop the runt from trying to think he can match you in even another hundred years, **_said Kurama in a bored voice. Naruto had considered the idea. But he could not let that secret go around too much, the fewer the people who knew the better.

He winced as Yugito skilfully disarmed Sasuke. The blast of anger from Sasuke washed over him, and he could see the Uchiha about to reveal the Mangekyo Sharingan. With barely a whisper he appeared between the contestants, turning to Yugito.

"Hello, Yugito-san!" he said cheerfully. Sasuke seemed to slump at his appearance and sheathed his sword tiredly. Yugito looked at him with a nonplussed expression.

"Yes?"

"I need to borrow Sasuke for a minute. Sorry to interrupt your practice!" he said, beckoning for Sasuke to join him. He waved to Yugito and the Raikage and walked on with Sasuke. The Uchiha sullenly stared ahead as they walked, and Naruto immersed himself in Sasuke's emotions.

"What bothers you now, Sasuke?" he asked calmly. He could guess, but he preferred to hear it directly from Sasuke. Sasuke's face cycled through a variety of emotions, finally settling on one of open desperation.

"I need to get stronger!" he whispered desperately. Naruto could actually feel the burning desperation in Sasuke…the unnatural craving for power. Sasuke, it seemed, was unable to let go of that one desire. Something that he had carried over from before.

Looking at Sasuke's pained expression, and feeling his torrential desire for more strength…Naruto chose to believe that Sasuke would not abuse his strength. Compassion rose in him like a tidal wave for the young boy who had been irreparably changed by his younger days' happenings.

_I am the Leader of the Senju clan, though I know much about Sharingan I cannot teach him of it._ Naruto flared his senses, reaching as deep as he could into Sasuke's emotions.

"Why do you want power?" he asked curiously, looking directly into Sasuke's eyes. The young Uchiha stared right back for a few moments, then looked down with an expression of shame.

"I…I just do. I want to match my nii-san and you! I want to be able to stand alongside you and not feel inferior anymore. When you fought them yesterday, all I could do was stand and gape! I am a _true _blooded Uchiha, not some stupid clanless nuke-nin" said Sasuke passionately.

Naruto only closed his eyes and opened them again, feeling Sasuke's emotions verify the veracity of his claims.

"I can help. Not in the way you think, but I can help" he said, a seed of an idea being born in his head. "Wait until we return to Konoha, Sasuke. We will have to change a few plans again…but if you want to learn how to truly master your eyes, there is only one person who can teach you how."

Leaving a stupefied Sasuke behind, he strode onwards thinking how to incorporate this new idea into his existing plans.

…

"Traitors are such a good breed, are they not Itachi? Especially skilled traitors…"said Tobi happily, nudging at a figure shackled to the Gedo statue.

"You should have told me of this" said Itachi with only a slight hint of anger as he saw what the Akatsuki had done behind his back. He stood in front of the Gedo statue with Pain and the impostor, concealing his utter rage with enormous effort. God only knew how this would affect Naruto…he knew all too well how it felt to have those you loved ripped away from your grasp.

"Did you know that the Uzumaki are distantly related to the Senju?" asked Tobi curiously as he moved to the prisoner shackled to the Gedo statue. He lightly ran his fingers over her flawless face, causing her to shake slightly in her unconscious state. Itachi just watched stoically, for once unable to decide.

"Senju and Uchiha" continued Tobi musingly. "Rikodou's blood flowing in two lines, Yang and Yin chakra in their true splendour. When they are unified, the original power that birthed them emerges to an extent."

"How is this relevant? And I assume this entire situation was engineered for Uzumaki Naruto?" questioned Itachi. He could never have anticipated for Tobi to play them all so ruthlessly. Tobi let out a short laugh as he turned to Itachi, but his hands went to the captive's hair and pulled it out of its bun. Itachi's hand shook slightly at this.

"Yes" Tobi said humourlessly, as his gloved hands ripped the Fuinjutsu tags that adorned her ears. "That boy is potentially too dangerous to be left intact. Akatsuki is in no shape to neutralize him. So…we do two things at once. Break him mentally, and if that backfires we need to gain the strength to oppose him with no problems. Thus was this plan born, Uchiha Itachi"

"Why not use Uzumaki Kushina?" Itachi asked in a disinterested voice. Tobi chuckled lightly at this.

"Some Uzumaki are of purer blood than others, Itachi. As are some Uchiha" he said, the one Sharingan he revealed glowing malevolently as he faced Itachi.

There was a shift in the air, causing them to turn and face the new arrival. Itachi's eyes widened in surprise at what he saw…the real Pain himself had appeared, his Rinnegan shining blue as he leant upon his aide Konan.

"You are here, good" said Tobi in a business-like voice. Pain and Konan slowly strode forward, coming towards the prisoner. Itachi's mind raced feverishly as his superior intellect tried to come up with a viable solutions to the problem.

"Has she woken up yet?" asked Pain in an authoritative voice. Tobi replied in the negative, both of them staring at the woman with contemplative eyes. Slowly, her eyes fluttered and shot open. Taking a few moments to absorb her situation, she laid her eyes on Itachi and then went on to observe her other captors.

"Welcome to Akatsuki, Uzumaki Mito" said Tobi in an overly cheerful voice. Itachi's eyes shone red, ready to unleash _Amaterasu_ upon him. But his mind was still caught in a painfully excruciating dilemma.

_I sacrificed my own family to keep Konoha safe, can I sacrifice Mito-sama as well? If I blow my cover I save her but condemn Konoha. If I leave her be, and she is killed…Konoha has its greatest informant still but _he shivered slightly._ Naruto will never forgive me. _

"I see you have noticed what holds your chakra back" said Tobi, moving to stand in front of her. Itachi hissed softly as Tobi pulled down the front of her robe, consciously suppressing his raging chakra.

_He DARES to touch Senju Hashirama's wife?,_ he thought with cold rage, his Sharingan morphing back and forth from its eternal state. Itachi could only stare indecisively as Tobi revealed a shiny silver collar with engraved seals around Mito's neck, and an intricate black seal inscribed upon the slope of her left breast.

Mito only gasped in shock as she looked down, seeing the artefact that so constrained her.

"How did you get this? These seals are Uzumaki clan secrets, drawn only by those of the Uzumaki blood. Those of _pure_ Uzumaki blood. How is this possible?" she asked calmly, paying no attention to her situation. Tobi laughed morbidly, nodding to Pain as a spiralling distortion swallowed him up. Itachi watched with growing indecision as Pain was brought face to face with Mito by Konan. He watched as Pain laid a hand directly on Mito's heart, causing her to flinch.

Itachi saw a thousand emotions in Mito's eyes as she looked straight at him. Before he could catch her in a Tsukuyomi, Pain had already begun.

"With you returning to where you belong, Uzumaki Mito, peace will be assured" said Pain in his deep voice. Itachi could feel Pain's immense chakra in the cave as the one who called himself Pain intoned: "_Gakido"_

Itachi's Sharingan now morphed into the Uchiha symbol and he could only barely restrain himself from acting as Uzumaki Mito slumped. Itachi's highly developed Doujutsu could see Pain leeching even Mito-sama's entire Chakra.

He could see Pain's age disappearing as the old face of the Real Pain was replaced by that of a youth. He could _feel_ Pain burning with energy and vitality, feel him leeching the last of Mito-sama's chakra.

Carelessly taking his palm off Mito's chest, Pain covered her and looked down at his hands with an expression of utmost satisfaction. Almost as if by an afterthought, he glanced down at Mito who hung unconscious by her shackles, and her robes were restored completely.

"_Banbutsu Sozo" _Pain whispered, looking down at his mangled legs. Before Itachi's surprised eyes, life returned to the legs in a burst of white light. In place of Pain's weak and wounded legs were two healthy legs worthy of a wielder of the _Rinnegan_. He could see Chakra running through them, as strong as it ran through Pain's upper body.

"I do not have her Chakra anymore, but it was well spent. Even my own chakra's potency does not match hers. Pity I could not retain it." said Pain casually, looking at Itachi. Konan gasped as Pain disappeared with incredible speed and appeared upon his place on the Gedo Statue.

Itachi felt true concern as he took in the scene in front of him…Mito-sama was captured, he had no idea _how_. And Pain had used her Chakra to heal himself.

_Pain was no longer crippled._

Pain's enormous Chakra began to saturate the cave completely, and the Akatsuki leader disappeared once more only to appear beside Itachi with a whisper of a sound.

"Itachi" said Pain, looking almost regretfully at the imprisoned Mito. "It is your task to return her to Konoha…we have no further use for her. Make sure to leave her lying in front of the gates of Konoha"

Itachi felt rage he had not felt for a long, long time. Pain had become even stronger, and now was not the time to pit his strength against the Leader. But relief rushed through him as he observed Mito's chest rising and falling slightly.

She was alive. And it was not yet time to act…only his supreme control of his emotions stopped him from unleashing the full power of his _Susano_, something he did not intend to reveal for a long time.

_When the time comes, I myself will seal Tobi and Pain into the endless dream of Totsuka for what they have done today, _he promised himself coldly. Akatsuki had taken the first steps to the real war now…he shuddered to think what would have happened if they had killed Mito, and at the same time wondered why they had let her go.

"I will" he assented. Pain nodded, and walked back to Konan who was wearing an expression of utmost happiness at his recovery. Itachi picked Mito gently up, and disappeared.

…..

"Obaa-san, why do you think Danzo is in the right? He is an abominable man! You agreeing with him openly undermines my rule as Hokage. I am sorry, but you may have caused irreparable damage to my standing!" said Tsunade angrily, looking at her grandmother with narrowed eyes.

It angered the busty Hokage all the more when Mito remained silent, examining her fingernails studiously. Tsunade cursed loudly, and slammed her fist onto the table. The shards of the breaking table cut into Mito's face, causing her blood to flow. Still the woman said little…Tsunade couldn't contain herself anymore.

Vaulting over the table, she kicked hard at Mito…and was beyond surprised when the kick sent the Uzumaki woman barrelling into the wall. She stared hard at her grandmother…never before had this happened. She turned when the doors to her office slammed open and Kakashi entered urgently.

"It's alright, Kakashi. My grandmother must have been sleeping" she said regretfully staring at the hole that contained Mito. Kakashi stared at the hole in the wall as well, and then looked back at the Hokage with a very serious expression.

"I am sure she is…for we found Mito-sama unconscious in front of the east gate!" said Kakashi with no sign of his trademark laziness. Tsunade's eyes grew wide at this. Her Grandmother was right here. True, she was a little worse for wear but…she was right there embedded in the wall.

"Impossible" said Tsunade flatly. "I just kicked Obaa-san into the wall. True, it has not happened before. If she were a clone of any sorts, I would have sensed her!"

Kakashi sighed. "Nevertheless, there is someone in our healing division that looks like Mito-sama or is her. We should resolve this affair soon, Hokage-sama."

Tsunade's expression firmed, and she appeared before the crumpled form of the woman she had kicked into the wall.

"What happened to my father? If you are who you are, then you should know! Tell me!" she asked in a deadly quiet voice. Mito got up slowly…and threw herself at Tsunade with a snarl. A 'blur of moment' later Kakashi retracted the elbow he had buried in her abdomen, and watched as 'Mito' morphed into a weird white humanoid.

Tsunade's face whitened considerably. "Obaa-san" she whispered, and vanished with a _Shunshin._ Kakashi too followed with a heavy heart. He had alerted Jiraiya-sama as well. It was best to get to the bottom of this affair before Naruto returned…he did not want to be at the receiving end of Naruto's anger.

Or worse, his disappointment. A quarter hour later, he joined Jiraiya and Tsunade in the Hokage's healing chamber.

"How can this be? How is it that we were deceived so completely? I noticed no difference…did we, the elite ninjas of Konoha, get suckered by appearance and imitation?" said Jiraiya in a low voice of outrage, watching Uzumaki Mito lying supine on the bed. Shizune and Tsunade were feverishly looking through numerous stacks of books...huge books. Kakashi just sat in his chair looking truly despaired.

"Her chakra was suppressed and even her life-force was sucked out of her body" said Shizune with outrage. Jiraiya snarled at this fact…no doubt this was Akatsuki. Shizune beckoned for them to approach further, and pointed to the seal on Mito's chest.

"That seal suppressed will-power, and this collar" she said, holding up a burnished metal collar "supressed her chakra to a large extent. I have no doubt she could have overcome both given more time, but what was done to her happened before she could mount a defense" she said with pure anger in her tone.

Tsunade was saying nothing, only leafing frantically through various books. Kakashi's anger only increased as he began to see with his Sharingan the damage wrought to Mito's chakra network. In truth, her body was unable to generate any chakra…she was…

"She's dying, isn't she?" asked Jiraiya in a somber tone. Tsunade snarled out a denial, and gathered medical chakra in her palms and slammed it onto Mito's barely rising chest. Kakashi and Jiraiya watched with sorrow as her repeated attempts failed.

"Summon Naruto, immediately. I don't care what happens to Konoha, summon him NOW" shouted Tsunade as she began to mold medic chakra in complex ways to heal Mito. Shizune joined her in increasingly difficult attempts to save the Shodai's wife.

Kakashi did not even wait for acknowledgement, simply disappearing to dispatch a message to Naruto. If anyone could heal Mito-sama, it was her husband…the greatest healer Konoha had ever seen.

…..

"I do not see the need for any alliance, Raikage" said a council member stubbornly, making the Raikage want to pound the man into the ground. But it would not do for Kumo to lose its entire council to one of his tantrums. He leaned forward forcefully, and said loudly.

"Did you not see what happened to our Village, fool?" he ground out. "It was due to this young man here that we even survived! How could you oppose what we are trying to do here…Akatsuki is a real threat!"

"What if this boy's nation has staged the entire incident?" said another member maliciously. Naruto laughed out loud at this ridiculousness. Stage the entire incident?

"What are you implying, that we co-operate with Akatsuki?" he asked amusedly. The council member snarled "That is _exactly_ what I am implying you arrogant boy!"

Before Naruto could make any sort of coherent reply, a blast of golden light occurred in the middle of the room causing everyone to jump in alarm. But Naruto sensed the arrival of three new chakras, and all of them were familiar.

Shiranui Genma stood with two other Konoha ninja, focusing only on Naruto. "What is the meaning of this?" shouted the Raikage. But Genma only walked solemnly to Naruto and handed him a scroll.

With a horrible feeling in his gut, Naruto opened the scroll. The entire posse watched with bated breath at this abrupt turn of events. Naruto scanned the scroll once with a stone cold face, and stared at Sasuke who stood behind him.

"We are going to Konoha" he said in a final voice. The obnoxious council-Jounin sneered and Naruto turned towards him and met his eyes with his own. Moments later the fool lay writhing on the ground when hit by a killer intent so purely malicious that it would probably stop a lesser ninja's heart.

Ignoring the man, Naruto said: "I apologize. We need to go to Konoha. Genma-san, can you manage to transport two of us with my father's technique?"

Genma nodded gravely, and Naruto and a bewildered Sasuke stepped into the enclosed space between the three Shinobi. Naruto inclined his head to the Raikage, and signalled to Genma. With a flash of golden yellow light, they disappeared from Kumogakure.

Naruto winced slightly as the disorientation from the _Hiraishin_ hit him for just a moment. They were in Konoha's Hokage office, and it was relatively full.

"You may go, Genma. And thank you for your service" said Tsunade gravely. Genma bowed and he and his two comrades disappeared. Naruto turned and said to Sasuke. "This is a personal matter, and it does not concern you at the moment. Please leave"

Sasuke looked mutinous for a moment, but nevertheless he left. Naruto took a deep breath and turned to those remaining in the room. He could feel the depth of the sorrow in Jiraiya, Shizune, Kakashi and most of all Tsunade.

"Where is my wife?" he asked them in an urgent voice. Tsunade looked steadily at the window, refusing to look at him. After a few tense moments Kakashi said.

"In the room of observation. She…she has not yet regained consciousness" he said hesitantly. Naruto walked briskly towards the door, blowing it apart with a minor earth technique. Angry thoughts raced through his mind at the speed of light.

_How could this happen so fast? Where were we deceived…and how could they capture MY wife? _

A Jounin moved to stop him at the Hospital, but a branch sprouted out of the ground and whipped him far away. Tsunade cried for him to calm down, but he did not listen. The only thought running through his mind was that he had not made much of his second chance to be with his wife…he had not respected what was given to him. Again and again he chose duty and village over blood and family, and again and again he paid a dear price.

_And now my wife is dying_, he thought to himself miserably. He could sense very faint traces of Mito's chakra in the room beyond him and just barged in. The sight of Mito lying there pale and helpless, with what little life-force she had fading fast brought tears to his eyes and raging guilt to his heart.

He rushed towards her, taking her in his arms and extending his senses to such an extent that he was almost one with the nature around him. He quested for Mito's chakra…and he found nothing.

"Do not interfere" barked Jiraiya to the alarmed medic-nin as he and Tsunade watched Naruto trying to heal his wife. Naruto made a complex seal sequence, melding chakra in impossible ways.

"_Iryo-ninjutsu: Kami no Fukkatsu" _he intoned, straightaway using one of his most powerful techniques of healing. Green chakra fountained around him in a nimbus of bright light as he sought to heal Mito. The light grew brighter as his desperation increased, causing those present to cover their eyes.

He gathered every shred of chakra in his body, and forced healing on his wife…but it was to no avail. He slammed his palms together and called forth eight wooden pillars, his wife resting on a smooth wood platform in the middle.

This time, the green glow could have well been seen everywhere in Konoha for the entire building was filled with it. After a few minutes, the extremely bright light subsided leaving Naruto in front of his motionless wife.

Tsunade looked on in extreme sorrow as she saw the man in front of her yell out in anger, the short burst of chakra causing cracks to appear in the walls. For hours they saw Naruto use healing techniques beyond their imagination, the pain in their hearts increasing every time he failed to achieve his goal.

Finally, Naruto knelt tiredly on the ground and his wood pillars dissipated. The Platform did not though, and Uzumaki Mito's beautiful form lay undisturbed and serene upon it.

"I am useless" said Naruto with self-loathing. "Whoever did this to her broke the very centre of her chakra network. My healing relies on the chakra of the recipient as support…she has no chakra to give. None" he whispered, a single tear sliding down his eyes.

Kakashi closed his eyes, and Jiraiya hung his head. Tsunade stood motionless at this unbelievable turn of events…her family was falling like a pack of cards before she even knew it.

"_Pain",_ came the whisper. Naruto stood up with surprise and delight at the welcome sound of the voice, but his face fell horribly at what met his sight. The light was leaving Mito's eyes which were now open, and they were fixed upon Naruto's watery forest-green ones.

"_Pain is whole…and impostor. Preta-path…traitor…" _here her barely aware eyes seemed to sharpen and alighted upon Naruto who was openly shedding tears of anguish.

"_Be careful, husband…"_she gasped out with difficulty. Naruto just held her hand, tears flowing continuously down his face. He thought this life had given him a chance, but that chance was taken away before he could even properly consider it.

His wife was in the throes of death. The only woman he had loved in both lives was being taken away from him, and he could do nothing to stop it. Of what use was all the healing he could do when he could not even save the love of all his lives?

Tsunade came to the other side and held Mito's left hand, also crying at the cruel farewell they had to bid.

Mito's slender body arched, and she slumped spread-eagled on the wooden platform. As the life left his wife, Naruto felt as if his soul was being torn as well.

"_I love you, Hashirama…"_ she whispered with her rasping breath. Naruto bowed his head, letting the grief and utter guilt swallow him whole. Tsunade was taking him away from his wife and he did not stop her.

When he had not stayed by her in life…what right did he have to stay by her in death? As anger, guilt and sorrow rushed through him in terrible proportions he felt his mind folding in on itself. Though it was unbecoming for a Shinobi of his stature, he let the blackness take him…happy to be away from the pain of it all.

…

When he came to, he was lying in a private ward in the hospital. He was alone…that was good. As he stared up at the ceiling his eyes watered and he controlled himself with an enormous effort. The pain of losing his wife so abruptly had not truly hit him yet…the pain of losing a second chance with her _killed_ him inside.

He tried to think. If he were just Hashirama, he would have been sad and moved on for the sake of the village. The Village, the Village…he snorted. He was no longer just Hashirama to dedicate his entire life to Konoha. He was a reborn Hashirama and a new Naruto who wanted to live for himself and his loved ones.

The loss hit him all over again, and he screamed. His chakra went loose again and the Hospital started shaking violently from the force of its release. The door banged open, and Tsunade came in frantically.

"Calm down, Ojisan!" said Tsunade, hugging him tightly. Naruto immediately stopped flaring his chakra at this contact, and disengaged himself. His emotional control was slipping rapidly, and barriers he did not know existed were being destroyed…who was he?

He gripped his head hard to avoid the crisis that brought to his soul. _Who was Mito to him? Wife from past life, or a beautiful woman he was slowly growing to adore in this one?_

He shook his head. The barriers went back up once more, and his mind cleared. But he felt something in him change irrevocably as he turned to Jiraiya. All the joy in his voice was gone, it was dead. It was remarkable how a person could change so much in a matter of hours.

"Who killed her?" he whispered. Jiraiya winced, and began to draw seals of privacy all over the room. Tsunade only waited gravely as Jiraiya activated the seals with a single gesture and turned to Naruto with a hopeful face.

"She is not dead" blurted Tsunade. Naruto turned to her with rage filled eyes, causing her to step back slightly. In a deceptively calm voice, he asked:

"I _felt _her life fading to nothingness, you stupid little girl. Do you claim to know more healing than me?"

A small flash of anger ran across Tsunade's face, but was replaced by understanding immediately. She took Naruto's hand in hers, and said softly:

"The healing techniques you used were so powerful, Ojisan. They kept her alive when she should be dead. Reach out with your senses, can you feel her faint life-pulse? She is in the next room, after all."

Naruto desperately closed his eyes, reaching deep into the sensory perception. Mito, Mito, Mito….there she was! Like the flutter of a butterfly's wings, he could feel life and a faint chakra pulse in her. Relief ran through him so powerfully that he thought he would faint again. He got up and rushed out into his wife's ward, Tsunade and Jiraiya hot on his heels.

It almost brought tears to his eyes again, the sight of his broken and unconscious Mito. He turned to Jiraiya and Tsunade, and gestured firmly to the door. "Leave me with her. I need to see if I can fan the sparks of her small chakra into the raging fire it should be"

He knew he was being abrupt with his friends, but this was the woman he _loved_. Finding the pure chakra of nature all around him, he reached out to _Senjutsu_.

…..

Two hours later, Naruto came out of the room causing Tsunade and Jiraiya to stand up frantically. Tsunade looked at him with a desperately anxious look, a look that literally begged him to answer.

"She will not wake" said Naruto in a rough and tired voice. When Tsunade looked about to break down, he held up his hand. "I said she will not wake, not that she was dead. She is in a coma…her chakra network was destroyed too completely, as was her chakra source. I merely…connected her to the flow of Nature chakra. Nature will feed and sustain her for now"

Tsunade slowly opened the door to Mito's room and entered, gasping loudly. The bed was gone and trees filled the large ward everywhere. But in the center were eight pillars that connected floor to ceiling, and in the middle lay Mito serenely. They could _feel_ Nature chakra in the room, running through the pillars and into Mito.

"You made her a sage?" asked Jiraiya in a flabbergasted voice. Naruto shook his head in morbid amusement, which quickly gave way to solemnity.

"No, that is impossible for anyone. In their unconscious state, Ninjas with great and potent chakras have the ability to tap imperfectly into Nature chakra. Sages can use this property to keep such people from dying, even with the gravest of injuries. It is something I discovered a long time ago…" he trailed off.

"Amazing" whispered Jiraiya. Tsunade nodded, once more sampling the rejuvenating purity of the chakra that sustained Mito.

Naruto quietly ushered them out of the room, and shut the door behind them. He slammed his palms together and trees thrust out of the ground to bar the entrance. He laid a palm on the trees, and seals appeared on them…engraved into them permanently.

_If only I knew the Hiraishin_, he thought wistfully.

"Drop your blood onto them" he asked the duo. Tsunade and Jiraiya did so, and the seals disappeared. Naruto turned to them in satisfaction, and said:

"Now only the three of us can enter this room, Tsunade. Onto more important matters" he said with an authoritative voice, causing them to pay attention.

"I can actually heal Mito completely" he said. Jiraiya and Tsunade's confusion was ignored as he continued. "But I am still not as strong as I was at the height of my power. I once had the ability to reconstruct a person from the ground up, even his chakra network itself. I need to train now, like never before. Only when I am satisfied with my own strength will I attempt to heal Mito completely…her safety is more important than my desires"

"Heal even _chakra networks_…_grow it back_?" whispered Tsunade with round eyes. Her Grandfather's might was often dismissed as a fairy tale, but this was too much. No one had even considered such a feat…the precision required would be stunning!

"Yes, I can do it. Now I need to know a few things, a few important things" here his visage darkened. He turned to Jiraiya: "I know you too have contact with Itachi. Did he communicate with you?"

"Yes"

"Then tell me…What the_ hell _was Itachi doing when my wife was being killed? Did he just watch?" Naruto asked, feeling rage slowly bubble up.

"Y-yes" said Jiraiya, causing Tsunade to close her eyes. "His cover-" Naruto opened his eyes, and for a moment it was the slitted red eyes of Kyuubi that sat there.

"**Damn his cover. I don't care about his cover. He SHOULD HAVE RESCUED MY WIFE!"** he shouted with anger, causing the Hospital to shake again violently. Jiraiya looked alarmed and hurt at this baffling new personality of Naruto's.

"I will NEVER forgive them! Was Pain the one who drained out Mito's chakra and broke her source?"he asked in a voice of deadly control. Jiraiya nodded again, for once cursing Itachi's desire to do the right thing…_and_ knowing in his heart of hearts that the Uchiha had once more proved to be the greatest ANBU operative they ever had.

Naruto remained silent, gathering his thoughts and composure.

"I assume you can reopen channels of communications with Itachi?" he asked Jiraiya, seemingly regaining calmness. Tsunade nodded. "Tell him not to interfere when I come for Pain"

"But Konoha is not ready-"she began. Naruto cut her off with a single wave of his hand.

"Not Konoha, ME!" he said firmly. "Pain took my wife away from me with the Sage's eyes. I believe he too has a female aide, doesn't he Jiraiya?" asked Naruto coldly. Jiraiya nodded, seeing where Naruto was going. He often did not like such actions, but they were Shinobi. They had to send certain messages to their enemies, and vengeance really had nothing to do with it.

"Konan, a former student of mine. My spies have confirmed that she aids Nagato" he said sadly. Naruto turned to Tsunade.

"You said you have my armor?" he asked. Tsunade nodded, wide-eyed at this. Naruto continued, oblivious to their reactions.

"Then I will have it back, for I might need it someday. I may have to attack Iwa sometime in the future, take the fight directly to Pain. I need to train hard anyway…what better way to supplement that training with the occasional battle with the Leader of the Akatsuki" he chuckled humourlessly.

Jiraiya looked at him as if he were insane.

"You plan to track Pain himself? Do you have any idea of how hostile Iwa is at the moment? And you say you plan to fight him eventually."

"Yes. But only if I can confirm Pain's presence there. Or else I will have to search the countries looking for him." said Naruto. Plans formed in his mind rapidly, and he somehow knew that this idea of his was the only alternative.

"The council of three will never agree" said Tsunade, speaking after a pause. Naruto smiled a chilling smile…somehow it did not look right on his face.

"No matter, I am beyond their power." he said. "I will get my wife back to health again, no matter how long it takes. We have the time for Mito, that much I have ensured for now." he announced with total determination.

He was going to get his Mito back whether he was Hashirama or Naruto. She was a precious person irrespective of any identity crisis he had.

The three sat in silence for a time, pondering the effect this new development would have on the future.

"Tsunade, I need to ask you for a huge favour" he said. Tsunade looked at him enquiringly. Naruto continued, feeling a modicum of calmness return.

"I will need your official permission to leave Konoha for an indefinite time…until I can find Pain. Mito said Pain was 'whole'. I can assume therefore that Pain has become even stronger. It will be best If I can face him in a duel" he mused. Tsunade asked harshly as well: "What if you do find him, what then?"

"I have a plan. I will not go seeking him for now…I will only track him. When the time is right, I will face him." said Naruto. Here he smiled a wintery smile, and whispered:

"And then, I will extract from him the price of attacking my wife. He will know the consequences, soon enough. Him and the Akatsuki…they will understand."

He looked at Tsunade, and got up to leave.

"Send my armour to my apartment. I may not use it, but it is an anchor to my past" he said, but stopped when Jiraiya announced firmly.

"I am coming with you as well. Kakashi will train Sasuke in Mangekyo Sharingan. But Minato would kill me a hundred times over if I let his son walk into this kind of foolhardiness alone!"

_**Not even you cannot do everything by yourself, Hashirama. Only Rikodou could do that. Take the pervert with you…and I approve of your hastily conceived plan. It is worthy of the Jinchuuriki of the Nine tailed fox!**_came the voice of the Kyuubi. Naruto just acknowledged the voice, and turned to Jiraiya.

"I will not risk my mother after all this, so you may accompany me. It will be good to have a companion in my travels" said Naruto. "We leave at first light tomorrow, to Iwa. Tsunade please take care of the formalities for now…it may be a few years before I see you again. Something tells me Pain already has anticipated my reaction…there is more to this situation than is obvious. He may be hard to find and keep track of. Lead Konoha well and make it strong!"

Tsunade nodded to Naruto, and surprisingly to Jiraiya as well. "Be safe, both of you" she said as the two Shinobi walked out of the hospital briskly.

_Itachi may not have broken cover for Obaa-san, but he will if Konoha itself if threatened. When Ojisan is gone to train, we will still be defended_, she thought.

_Be safe, Jiraiya, Ojisan…please be safe. You are the only hope for Mito-Obaasan._

…..

**Greetings.**

**My previous A/N seems to have engendered spite towards me. I resent people who simply keep telling me I am doing wrong, without telling me just WHAT I am doing wrong.**

**And I truly detest reviewers who flame people with no REASON.**

**Flame me all you want as long as you tell me just WHERE you think I am making mistakes. Some reviewers are actually helpful.****'Thorndsword', 'Kythorian' and many others are cases in point. They use sharp and abrupt language, but their reviews are sharp and spot on as well. I like that, and it will help me much.**

** I need relevant REASONS if I have to improve. Is my request not clear enough? And Guest flamers, please: If you cannot speak in a civilized manner, do me the favour of keeping your trap shut. I continue getting guest flames...I mean plain abuse here. It tends to thoroughly demotivate me. I write for appreciation and critiques, not to be a target for your anonymous malices.**

**What is written with good intention must be nurtured with the same. I have always followed that when I review, and I request all of you to do the same please. ****I have allowed a sample abuse review among many onto the reviews page to show the kind of _appreciation_ I am receiving from these anonymous people. If you want to tell me something, take a few minutes to create a profile and then do it.**

**At least I can get back to you with my thoughts and Ideas(I mean that in a well-intentioned way)**

**Many people HAVE given me excellent critiques as reviewers, and I cannot thank them enough. Their thoughts and inputs are currently being considered by me as possible plot inconsistencies.**

**Thanks again to those reviewers, and continue to critically review!**

**Regards,**

**Karldin.**


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